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PITMAN--The College of New Jersey has been selected as the favorite to win the 2009-10 New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship in a preseason poll of the league’s five head coaches. The defending conference champion Lions will be seeking their fourth NJAC title in program history and their second consecutive league crown since the return of men’s swimming & diving as a conference sport in the 2008-09 academic year.

 
TCNJ, which received all five first-place votes from the league coaches, finished the 2008-09 season with a 10-1 overall record and captured the league championship with a perfect 4-0 conference mark. The Lions claimed the first conference crown awarded since 1994-95, as the NJAC did not sponsor the sport of men’s swimming & diving for 13 consecutive seasons due to a lack of conference teams.

Led by the 2008-09 NJAC Coach of the Year in Brian Bishop, the Lions return 12 all-conference performers from their NJAC championship team including the reigning NJAC Swimmer of the Year in junior Tom Medvecky (100 & 200 butterfly; 500 freestyle; 400 freestyle relay; 200 & 400 medley relays) and the league Rookie of the Year in sophomore Mike Vernoia (100, 200 & 500 freestyle; 400 & 800 freestyle relays; 400 medley relay). Other returning all-conference performers for TCNJ include junior Tim Rauch (1650 freestyle; 400 individual medley; 800 freestyle relay), senior Myles O’Connor (100 & 200 breaststroke; 200 & 400 medley relays), junior Pete Goldsmith (1650 freestyle), senior James VanBiervliet (100 & 200 backstroke), junior Aaron Moskovich (100 butterfly), senior Eric Rohrs (100 breaststroke), junior Joe Tseng (200 & 400 individual medley), sophomore Kevin Cain (200 freestyle relay), sophomore Ryan Clark (200 freestyle relay), and junior Shawn Kircher (200 & 400 freestyle relays; 200 medley relay). In 19 seasons at the helm of the Lions program, Bishop has guided TCNJ to an overall record of 161-36.

Rowan University, which placed second in the NJAC in 2008-09 with a 3-1 league mark, was selected to place second and was tapped as the coaches’ dark horse selection. The 2009-10 season will mark the return of Tony Lisa as the head coach of the Profs. In his previous tenure in Glassboro, Lisa guided the Rowan men’s team to a 228-78-1 overall record during 30 seasons. Lisa inherits a team which posted a 6-4 overall record in 2008-09 and returns eight all-conference performers including junior Mark Balesteri (one & three-meter diving), senior Steve Tucker (200 & 400 freestyle relays; 200 medley relay), sophomore Bill Malone (200, 400 & 800 freestyle relays; 400 medley relay), senior Matt Bocian (200 freestyle relay), junior Mike Brooks (800 freestyle relay), sophomore Dan Bower (200 medley relay), sophomore Matt Marzolf (400 medley relay), and sophomore Jake Taylor (400 medley relay).

Montclair State University, led by 21st-year head coach Brian McLaughlin, was selected to place third. The Red Hawks have produced an overall mark of 115-124 during McLaughlin’s tenure, including a record of 6-7 in 2008-09. MSU placed fourth during the 2008-09 season with a 1-3 league record.

William Paterson University, which finished third in the NJAC in 2008-09 with a 2-2 conference record en route to posting an overall mark of 10-2, was selected to place fourth. Led by 34th-year head coach Ed Gurka, the Pioneers have produced an overall record of 273-145 under his leadership. William Paterson returns one all-conference performer from its 2008-09 squad in senior Voyta Karas (50 & 200 freestyle).

Ramapo College, led by second-year head coach Gary Orr, was selected to place fifth. Orr successfully guided the Roadrunners through their first varsity season in 2008-09, posting a 3-7 overall record including non-conference victories over Drew University, Pace University, and King’s College.

The 2009-10 season will mark the 17th year that the NJAC will recognize a conference champion in men’s swimming & diving. The NJAC does not conduct a conference championship meet in men’s swimming & diving, meaning the league championship is awarded to the team with the best record in regular season conference competition. NJAC all-conference honors and special awards will be based on performances at the Metropolitan Swimming & Diving Championships which will be held at Rutgers University on February 19-21.