A-10 Champions!: St. Bonaventure rallies to end UMass' reign
Feb. 18, 2006
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Atlantic 10 Men's Swimming and Diving Championship finally belongs to St. Bonaventure.
After six years of runner-up finishes, the Bonnies rallied to overtake five-time defending champ Massachusetts by a margin of just nine points (701.5 to 692.5) and claim their first conference title since 1999.
There was no shortage of drama during this four-day Championship at the Flickinger Aquatic Center and none moreso than during Saturday's tense final. The meet came down to the last event, the 400 freestyle relay. Entering the relay, St. Bonaventure held a mere one point lead. But the team of freshman Alex Moniot, senior Patrick Doret, sophomore Roman Margulis and senior Michal Bogacki won the relay in 3:03.49. That gold medal, coupled with UMass' third place finish, secured the Championship.
St. Bonaventure head coach Sean McNamee was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
"We were pretty confident going into that final race," a drenched McNamee said afterward. "For it to come down to the last couple of events and have the lead changing on the last night was gut-wrenching. Our guys answered the call. They gutted it out. They've put in all the work for six months. They deserve this and need to cherish it."
 St. Bonaventure's seniors celebrate after winning the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championship.  |
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Junior Chris Ekimoff started Saturday night with a fifth place showing in the grueling 1,650 freestyle. Juniors Ceyhan Guyler and Dan Freeland and sophomore James Wood then earned valuable points by placing eighth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 200 back.
In the third men's event of Saturday night, Bogacki placed second in the 100 free in 45.38 to earn a silver medal. Teammates Moniot and Doret finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in that race.
Senior Adrian Blaszczak then extended his career-long dominance of the A-10 Championship by winning the 200 breaststroke in 2:03.79. That time was a full three seconds better than the runner-up finisher, teammate Scott Jordan. The Bonnies sophomore turned in a 2:06.86 to claim the silver medal.
Bogacki followed his teammates 1-2 showing with his second silver medal of the night, this time in the 200 butterfly (1:51.74). Margulis finished ninth in the same event. After the 200 fly, St. Bonaventure's lead stood at just the single point, 611.5 to 610.5.
The A-10 title is St. Bonaventure's third (1999, 1993). All three have come with McNamee as head coach.
 The traditional celebration: everyone in! |
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