Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford swim team is ready to begin their 2023-24 campaign looking to continue building on a strong finish to their last campaign.
The Panthers had their strongest year under 5th-year head coach Chelsea Schwab, as the men's team was able to win 7 meets, while the women won 4. Both teams also had their best showing at the 3rd Allegheny Empire Swimming Championship Meet.
Conan Young led the men's team in 2022-23, as he earned two spots on the All-Conference team. Young won the 1650-yard freestyle at championships and then placed second in the 500-yard freestyle. Young finished just 4 seconds off the national qualifying time in the 1650 his time set the meet, and program record. He also set the program mark in the 500-yard freestyle in his first home meet. Conan's classmates Duncan Young and Sam Wright also had strong debut campaigns for the Panthers, picking up multiple event wins throughout the season.
This season, the Panthers return 7 swimmers who will look to build on the success they had in 2022-23. Senior Owen Fitzsimmons will take a leadership role while swimming in freestyle events. The team will look to its strong base of returning athletes to continue to improve their times. Along with Young, Young, and Wright, Camden Tetenov, Aiden Minch-Hick, and Matt Gullotti add important depth in the sprint events and relays. The Panthers also add 4 new freshmen, Giulio Minerbi, Eric Reynolds, Nathan Ryan, and Jason Tosh, who will add a diverse skill set in different disciplines.
Isabella Cercone had a strong debut campaign for the Panthers in 2022-23, earning the team's first all-conference selection since 2016-17. Cercone was a key member of the Panther relay teams but excelled in the breaststroke events. Along with setting the program record in the 100-yard breaststroke, Cercone took 2nd place in both the 100 and 200-yard freestyle races at the championship meet to earn a pair of second-team honors. Bailey Fedak had a strong showing in the sprint events, while Madison Foote and Adriana Gallas picked up important points in the distance, backstroke, and breaststroke races.
The Panthers will once again lean on the performances of Cercone Fedak and Foote this season, while also gaining some valuable leadership from Anna Killingbeck, who returns to the team after missing the last campaign. They will also look to newcomers Brooklyn Bellavia, Alexia Catalone, Kearstin Foster, Reagan Shafranich, Emma Slocum, Ruby Smith, and Hannah Westover to add valuable points in multiple events, as well as additional relays.
The Panthers will begin their season with a home meet on October, 7th as they host Fredonia. Other home meets will be on November 11th and January 20th. Their scheduled season will come to an end with the 4-day Allegheny Empire Swim Championships from February 14th to 17th at the Webster Aquatic Center in Webster, N.Y.
