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SU swimmers fail to climb out of hole dug by divers

When the Syracuse swimming team kicked off its first home meet of the conference season against Connecticut this Saturday at Webster Pool, they were already behind.

The Orangewomen inherited a 26-point deficit from the morning’s diving competition and — despite outswimming the Huskies — went on to lose the meet, 132-111. The men lost by an even larger margin, 140-101.

The loss marked the first time in history that both the Orangemen and Orangewomen lost at home to UConn.

‘The backstroke, the fly, the IM (Individual Medley) and the distance freestyle races were very disappointing,’ SU coach Lou Walker said of the men’s events. ‘But the sprinters did a super job.’

Syracuse was overmatched by the depth of UConn’s roster. Each event should have pitted three SU swimmers against three Connecticut swimmers, but in several races SU could only fill one or two of its lanes.



But the Huskies’ depth and dominant diving team were hardly to blame for SU’s second consecutive dual-meet loss. Instead, it was clear that UConn had plenty of what Syracuse lacked — spirit.

‘It’s just bad. It’s awful. It’s really disheartening,’ freshman Ryan Caponera said. ‘Unfortunately, I don’t think people come out here as focused as they should be.’

The moment the Huskies took to the pool, it was clear they were a more cohesive, energetic squad than SU. Deafening ‘Huskies’ chants erupted from the bench when UConn took first and second in the men’s 200-meter backstroke, and Syracuse’s celebrations seemed somber and resigned in comparison.

‘We think that the spirit is really important,’ UConn head coach Bob Goldberg said. He and Walker each wore a shirt, tie and slacks at poolside, but the more relaxed UConn coach wore sneakers.

‘You can’t swim great without a lot of emotion,’ Goldberg said.

And even as the defeated Syracuse swimmers sulked on the sidelines, the Huskies cooled down with laps and stretches and filled the complex with whistles, chants and cheers.

‘In one way it’s kind of cool how they’re all together and chanting,’ junior Elyse McDonough said. ‘In another way, it’s kind of cocky.’

But that cockiness seemed to propel the Huskies to a big victory, the likes of which Syracuse hasn’t tasted in months. And with the Big East Championships just under a month away, SU might consider taking a cue from UConn and competing as a team, not just a bunch of swimmers wearing the same uniform.

‘It’s not just about you,’ Caponera said. ‘Waving your hand or cheering on your teammate is going to make the difference. It gives the person the extra oomph to pass the other person. And then you win meets.’





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