Men's Swimming | 10/16/2015 2:02:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men's and women's swimming teams open the 2015-16 season Saturday, hosting St. Andrews University at the Wingate Natatorium. The dual meet starts at 12 noon. Wingate head coach Kirk Sanocki sat down with the Bulldog sports information department to talk about the upcoming season (a transcript of his interview follows).
 
Kirk Sanocki pre-season interview transcript
 
Following six weeks of pre-season, what have you discovered about this year's team?
 
"I am having fun coaching this team. We have many interesting personalities. I have been enjoying how quickly the newcomers have meshed with the veteran (swimmers). We have had several nice, early signs…that we will have great chemistry between the returning swimmers and the newcomers."
 
"Our new swimmers have benefitted greatly from excellent leadership from our juniors and seniors. Our senior captains (Ossian Arvidsson, Damjan Petrovski, Ana Fish and Rita Koryukova) have been very proactive…helping our new folks step up their game."
 
"The coaching staff has seen some good things during our pre-season training. We are anxious to see what our six weeks of hard work…will bring Saturday."
 
Who has been working especially hard this pre-season?

"On the men's side, freshman Eric Ordaz (Fort Myers, Fla.) has consistently stepped forward to take on the upperclassmen in challenge 'cap' races. For the women, the entire freshmen class has been working hard, but I have been especially pleased with the work of Maria Madsen (Dragoer, Denmark) and Hanna Van Horen (Hofstade, Belgium)."
 
With the women bringing home NCAA third-place hardware last year…and the consistent post-season performances for both teams…what do you do for an encore?
 
"We are working hard to achieve our team goals. On paper, our women have the talent to make another run for a top four finish at NCAAs. Our men's team has been on an incredible run the past decade by finishing among the top 12 (NCAA) teams each of the last 10 years. This is an outstanding achievement. I believe our men's team is stronger this year…but we may be a year away from reaching the top four. One can never tell…if the freshmen develop on the men's side…one never knows what can happen."
 
"Our women's team has an opportunity to have a very special season (in 2015-16). If our freshmen grow up athletically over the next six months…who knows?"
 
Talk about the 2015-16 meet schedule…
 
"I really like how we have put together a schedule which will test us on all levels and in all of our events. If things go as planned, we hope to be one of the better teams at the end of the year."
 
"Our schedule is different than in years past, as the Mecklenburg County Aquatics Center (MCAC) pool in downtown Charlotte is closed for renovations. As a result, we have altered our traditional format for success from past years. We are trying to be as creative as we can, especially when we will have one team swimming on the road and one team swimming at home the same day."
 
"For instance, we will host Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville's women at Wingate Nov. 20, while our men swim against Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs. The next day, the women will face GWU and UNCA at Gardner-Webb, while our men will compete against Gardner-Webb in Wingate."
 
"The typical weekend for our quad meet is now going to be held at two sites. On Friday, Nov. 6 will face Lenoir-Rhyne and Limestone at L-R's pool in Hickory. The next day, will see the same two teams at Limestone. We feel this will be a good test for us."
 
"We have moved the Wingate University Fall Frenzy to our traditional SCAD weekend (Dec. 4-6, 2015). In the past, some teams have been rested at the Fall Frenzy (Queens, Gardner-Webb and Catawba), when we have not been rested. This year, we will get the opportunity to see where we are on equal footing with our competition."
 
"The Fall Frenzy will require the same focus for us. We will have a few less teams (at the Frenzy) due to fact the dates bump up against final examinations at some institutions. A big benefit for us is the chance to race in the same pool (the Rock Hill, S.C. YMCA) we will compete in for the Bluegrass Mountain Conference championships. The Fall Frenzy will allow us to get familiar with this facility."
 
"This opportunity is very similar to basketball teams becoming familiar with a certain gym…and outside teams getting accustomed to turf or grass. We will know the Rock Hill YMCA facility very well after the Fall Frenzy. We will know the flow…and know what we need to do to garner our best performances."
 
"The second half of the season will look very similar to recent years. We will start 2016 with the University of Tampa Relay Meet (Jan. 9). We will host Catawba for Senior Day Jan. 15 and visit the University of South Carolina to race the Gamecocks, Queens and Gardner-Webb Jan. 22-23. This takes us to the BMC event Feb. 10-13.
 
How does the NCAA Division II swimming scene look for 2015-16?
 
"The early-season meets indicate NCAA Division II swimming will be very strong this year. We will have many challenges trying to send the same number of swimmers to the NCAA national championship meet (in Indianapolis) this year. I think both Wingate teams are definitely up to this challenge."
 
What do you see as strengths and weaknesses for your teams?
 
"One of our biggest team strengths…is the number of returning student-athletes who have scored individual points at the NCAA national championship meet. As far as weaknesses are concerned, we are still learning where our new people fit into the equation. We have had a few injuries we are hoping to overcome…by the end of the season, we believe we can overcome these challenges."
 
"We do have a few events where we are not as deep as we would like to be at this stage. Hopefully, given our strengths in certain areas, we can overcome this."
 
BULLDOG NOTES
 
Both Wingate teams finished second in the 17th annual Bluegrass Mountain Conference meet last February. The Bulldog women's swimming team ended the program's search for NCAA team hardware, as Wingate finished a program-best third at the 2015 NCAA Division II swimming and diving championships. The Bulldog men finished 12th, one point behind 11th-place Delta State (Miss.). Wingate's men have finished 12th (or better) at the NCAA meet 10 consecutive years.
 
Wingate senior Armony Dumur (Amiens, France) helped the Bulldogs claim two national titles at the 2015 NCAA Division II swimming and diving championships. Individually, Dumur won the women's 100 Butterfly with a new national record time of 52.42. Dumur and three teammates touched first in the women's 400 Medley Relay with a new school record time of 3:40.28. Dumur set her third 100 Fly national record of the day with her relay time of 51.99.
 
In the 2015 NCAA 400 Medley Relay, Dumur's teammates were senior Rita Koryukova (Omsk, Russia), redshirt junior Olga Kosheleva (Yekaterinburg, Russia) and junior Sofia Petrenko (Arkhangelsk, Russia). In addition to Dumur's new 100 Butterfly national and school record (in the relay), both Kosheleva and Petrenko set new school records in the 100 Breaststroke (1:02.12) and 100 Freestyle (50.19), respectively.
 
The two 2015 national titles give Wingate 21 national championship swims. Dumur is the third WU female to win an individual national title, joining diver Lindsey Taylor (2012) and swimmer Maria Vlashchenko (2008). The Bulldog 400 Medley Relay quartet is the first WU women's relay team to earn a national crown. The Wingate men's swimming program has 14 national championship swims, including three by 2012 Olympian Marko Blazevski (Skopje, Macedonia).
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, master's degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 15 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past nine years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 77 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 77 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 86 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.