Even in its final season of existence, the Syracuse swimming and diving team has maintained an air of relevance that most lame-duck programs would feel inclined to avoid. That air of relevance will be on full display over the weekend as the Orange participates in the nationally recognized Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C.

‘This is always a major event on the national swimming radar, no matter the state of your program,’ said Janis Hape Dowd, former North Carolina All-American, 1976 U.S. Olympian and tournament namesake. ‘It’s a great opportunity for a group of up-and-coming swimmers to showcase their talents against people they otherwise wouldn’t compete against.’

Named for Hape Dowd, the Nike Cup Invitational was until two years ago a fixture on the national swimming radar for over two decades. From 1986 to 2007, the annual North Carolina-hosted meet was the preeminent regular season showcase for Eastern-based collegiate swimming programs. Now after a two-year hiatus based on a full-scale renovation of UNC’s Koury Natatorium, the invitational is back in the national spotlight.

The 2010 edition kicks off Thursday morning with preliminary races beginning at 10 a.m. The festivities come to a close on Saturday evening with the final championship races beginning at 6 p.m. The event will feature over 200 collegiate swimmers from more than 20 of the nation’s top programs.

‘Of course it’s an opportunity to represent your school,’ SU head coach Lou Walker said. ‘But more importantly, it’s an opportunity to see where you stand individually among some of the best swimmers the NCAA has to offer.’

Due to the high volume of competing teams, coaches can only bring their Top 10 swimmers from their men’s teams and their Top 10 from their women’s teams. But this isn’t a problem for Walker. He has only five scholarship swimmers on his entire coed roster, the fewest of any school in the meet. North Carolina, on the other hand, features over 30 scholarship swimmers after combing the men’s and women’s programs. But the underdog Orange swimmers aren’t making any excuses.

‘Sure there’s only five of us going, but we specialize in our specific events for a reason,’ SU junior Chelsea Bryan said. ‘One hundred meters is 100 meters, whether it’s in Archbold (Gymnasium) or Koury Natatorium.’

But the SU swimmer most expected to leave a lasting impression is senior Kuba Kotynia. A breaststroke specialist, Kotynia finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke races at the Big East championships. In doing so, he became the only SU swimmer since the beginning of the program’s phase-out period — starting in 2007 — to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

This season, Kotynia has earned a pair of victories in his primary races at each of the team’s first two meets. He’s hoping to use the Nike Cup as both a mid-season measuring stick and a springboard toward a similar championship-contending run.

‘It’s a test for me for national competition,’ said Kotynia, ‘but I have experience in those races.’

In 2007, SU participated in the Nike Cup, with both the men’s and women’s teams coming in sixth place (out of seven for the men, out of six for the women). That meet took place a few months after Syracuse Athletic Director Daryl Gross made the decision to phase out the program. Kotynia was the only freshman to swim for SU in the event, and he won two events. Walker is hoping the rest of his swimmers will look to that team as inspiration as they follow Kotynia’s lead.

‘The (2007) team proved that it’s possible to compete on a national level in spite of any extra circumstances regarding the program,’ Walker said. ‘Kuba is still proving that.’

And with the trip to Chapel Hill for the team with only five scholarship players, Walker recognizes this could be the final chance for his program to make a national statement as a team.

‘There’s no reason we shouldn’t compete just like we always have,’ he said. ‘One hundred meters will always be 100 meters.’

jdsaffre@syr.edu

 

Published on November 17, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jarrad: jdsaffre@syr.edu