The 2017 Shippensburg University swimming teams were extremely successful last season, but it was the women’s team that exploded onto the scene with a third-place finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships behind an incredible meet by Stephanie O’ Toole.

This season, a terrific women’s team and a more experienced men’s team will look to build on last season’s successes.

“Last season was a tremendous accomplishment for us and I felt like we had a pretty talented team,” SU head coach Tim Verge said. “We’re definitely looking to try and build on it. If we can stay healthy and swim to the level I think we are capable of, it should be another great year.”

With O’Toole, Gabby Johnson and Erin Fife returning for the women and Jeff Beyer, Callum Hamel, Quinton Beck and Nick Bloom among the returnees for the men, SU hopes for a strong year that will close with a strong finish at the 2018 conference meet.

O’Toole won the conference title in the 200-yard individual medley, 400-yard individual medley and seventh in the 100-yard backstroke while Johnson finished second in the 100-yard butterfly and Fife finished fourth in the 200-yard butterfly at the 2017 PSAC meet.

Beyer led the SU men’s team placing seventh in the 500-yard freestyle while Beck crushed his PR in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:06.76 at the PSAC Championships.

“We have some people who can do a lot of things,” Verge said. “I think we have a lot of different people who will be a part of our success.”

In recent years, the George Mason Invitational has been extremely successful. 

The meet has often been a measuring stick for personal-bests before the mid-season break.

“The Mason meet is wonderful for us,” Verge said. “I can’t use enough adjectives for it. We’ve been going there for 18 years now and knock on wood — we’ve always swam well there. It’s a great environment to race in and with a chance to rest in November, it has always helped us build some confidence.”

Verge enters this season as his 19th year as head coach, and this year is his 20th year at SU. 

“Coaching at your alma mater is just something special,” Verge said. “I think we just have tremendous support from our administration, the student association and faculty. I just think the world of this place and it’s been great for me and my family and I’m lucky to be able to do what I do.”

SU hopes to continue right where it left off last season. The Raiders open their season on Wednesday with a conference meet against Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 5 p.m.

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