Saints Swimming and Diving Program
The St. Lawrence University men's and women's swimming and diving teams offers student-athletes the opportunity to set and achieve both individual and team goals. A number of student-athletes have achieved remarkable individual results over the past few years, which has allowed the team to improve their finish at the Liberty League and New York State championships.
Bob Clemmer, who took the head coaching position in spring of 2000, is just the third head coach in the history of the Saints swimming and diving program and the second to coach a women's team. Clemmer quickly instituted a new training and practice regimen that addresses the most current training principles in the sport. His philosophy is to work with each swimmers individual ability with the goal of maximizing the improvement and achievement of every member of his team.
On the women's side, a number of St. Lawrence swimmers have broken long-standing team records in the last few seasons, both in individual events and in relays, and have also seen continued success at championships. In her final season as a Saint, Ashley Bogosian '09 broke two program records, the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke, and was a member of three record-breaking relays. Her times also placed her among the fastest in the country, as she earned three NCAA 'B' cuts, the first of her career. Hannah Grimes '11 was the first Saint to reach an NCAA 'B' standard since the 2003-2004 season in 2007-08 and is the current record holder in both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke.
The Saints have had several top ten finishers at both the Liberty League Championships as well as NYSWCAA's in recent years. Both Bogosian and Abbey Lynch '10 have had enjoyed much success over the last three seasons. The North Country natives are among the best sprinters in the conference, while the depth on the women's side in both the sprint races as well as the specialty strokes continues to expand, making them more of a threat with each new season.
On the men's side, Chris Woolston '10 was the first member of the Saints squad to break a University record since 2004, as he is now the current record-holder in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke. In his two seasons with the Saints, he has had several top ten finishes and has placed among the best in the state in the backstroke events. The Scarlet and Brown have also enjoyed the talents of Stephen Dally '10, a breaststroke specialist, and Jared Pellerin '11, the Saints' long distance weapon, over the last few years, as both have been assets at both the Liberty League and UNYSCSA Championships. The team continues to grow in numbers as well as experience and are looking to improve their finishes year-by-year.
In the diving well, the Saints' squad has expanded exponentially. Jason Johnson '09 has enjoyed much success in his two years on the squad, being named the 2008 Liberty League Co-Diver of the Year after winning the one-meter diving event at the conference championships while also achieving his first ever automatic NCAA cut. His third place finish on the three-meter at the meet was also one of his best performances to date.
The Saints swim program includes a combination of dual and invitational meets leading up to the state meet to end the regular season. Saints swimmers can also qualify for the NCAA Division III championships with outstanding performances during the season. NCAA qualification is based on time standards.
The Saints' men's program has produced a national team championship in 1976 and third-place team finishes in 1980 and 1982, along with several national individual champions and over 60 individual and relay All-America finishes.
The women's program has produced over 40 individual All-America finishes and 16 relay All-America finishes in its history. It also has one national champion, Laurie Peterssen McManus `81, who is one of five Saints women swimmers to be inducted into the St. Lawrence University Athletic Hall of Fame.
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