- Men's Sports
Men’s Swimming
Johnson Named New Head Coach
URBANA, Ohio (March 9, 2010) - Urbana University Director of Athletics Doug Young announced today that Dave Johnson has been hired as the new head coach for the Blue Knights' swim teams. Johnson brings a wealth of experience to a young Urbana program that just completed its second season of NCAA Division II competition.
"Dave has been a professional in the sport of swimming in our area for quite a long period of time," explains Young. "His knowledge and experience in recruiting the areas that we value most will be a tremendous asset to our program and the entire University."
The Springfield-native built the swimming program at the Springfield Family YMCA in 1977. Over the next 29 years, he coached the program to national prominence. Over 150 of his swimmers continued their careers at the collegiate level, and a few even reached All-American status.
Johnson also has more than a decade of experience coaching at the high school level. He coached the Springfield North High School squad from 1997-2006. Most recently, he served as the head coach at Springfield High School. In 2002, Johnson was inducted into the Springfield City Schools Hall of Fame for his lifetime of dedication to the community and the sport of swimming.
"Being a head coach at the collegiate level has been a lifetime goal of mine," said Johnson. "The timing wasn't right in past years because I wanted to make sure Springfield High's program was well established before I left."
According to Young, the current members of the Blue Knights' swim team helped with the decision.
"Dave's immediate positive connection with the current members of our team made him the obvious choice as well," said Young.
Prior to coaching, Johnson was an accomplished swimmer at Springfield North High School and later at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Johnson was a four-time All-Ohio selection in high school, and he served as team captain and points leader as a senior at Miami. In three straight seasons, he was the Mid-American Conference champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, as well as a member of the MAC champion 400-yard medley relay team.
8 Records Fall in Final Meet of the Season
Mosquera breaks 4 individual marks at Marshall's Appalachian Championships
HUNTINGTON, West Virginia (February 19, 2010) - The Urbana University men's and women's swim teams were in action this weekend at Marshall University for the Appalachian Swimming Championships. More than a dozen teams in the region competed, and the Blue Knights landed several top finishes on both the men's and women's side. As a team, Urbana took 12th out of 14 teams. The women finished in 13th place, while the men took 10th place.
On the men's side, freshman Said Mosquera (pictured) finished with 3 individual top 6 finishes and 4 new school records in the 200 medley, and the 50, 100 and 200 free. In the 200 medley, Mosquera clocked in at 1:59.20 which was good enough for a 3rd place finish. He also shaved more than 8 seconds off his school record in the event. In the 200 free, he managed a time of 1:47.19 which set a new school record by more than 4 seconds and also notched a 3rd place finish. For his last individual accomplishment, Mosquera finished 6th in the 100 free with a time of 48.39, shattering the old record by almost 7 seconds.
Sophomore Brian Hurley also set a new school record, making the finals in the 200 breast stroke. Hurley swam a 2:33.22 to beat his old mark by more than 4 seconds.
Mosquera and Hurley also competed in three record-setting relays with teammates Baron Schneeman and Kyle Bertz. They were able to nab a top-10 finish with a total time of 1:41.84 in the 200 free relay, beating previous school record by 3 seconds. Mosquera swam a 22.02 during his 50-yard led of the relay, smashing his own record in the process, but the men were not done yet. The same group also grabbed a 9th place finish in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:58.48, cutting 20 seconds off their previous best and setting another new record in the process. The relay team saved their best for last. The foursome smashed the school record in the 400 freestyle relay by more than 50 seconds, finishing in 3:50.40. Mosquera finished his day with 6 new school records. He now has 10 of 13 school records. With the Mosquera and the relay team's strong performance, the Blue Knights were able to gain its first win on the season by defeating Berea College by 32 points.
With the conclusion of the Appalachian Swimming Championships, both the men's and women's swim teams' second season of has come to a close. Combined, the Blue Knights were able to defeat Berea College and LaGrange College. The win was the first of the season for the men's team and the 4th of 2009-10 for the women. [Full Results]
Trio of Swimmers Share Top Weekly Honor
URBANA, Ohio (February 5, 2010) - For the first time this school year, it was impossible to choose just one winner of the Family Dentistry Student-Athlete of the Week award. A trio of swimmers posted identical results in a dual meet at Bethany College on Saturday, and today, Brian Hurley, Said Mosquera and Samantha Cowgill have all been named the best of the Blue Knights this week.
Sophomore Brian Hurley (Parma, Ohio/Normandy HS) won all 3 events he entered, conquering the 100 free, the 500 free, and the 200 breaststroke. He broke Mosquera's school record in the 100 free by six-tenths of a second, and he set a new mark in the 500 free after swimming the event for the first time in his career. Hurley's 27 points in the meet matched the scoring of Mosquera and Cowgill, the most of any swimmer on the day.
Freshman Said Mosquera (Sunrise, Florida/Piper HS) continued his season of domination by sweeping his 3 events against the Bison. Mosquera showed his versatility by winning the 50 free, the 200 free and the 200 backstroke. After losing his record to Hurley in the 100 free, Mosquera returned the favor by topping Hurley's school mark in the 50 free. He also improved his own record in the 200 back. On the season, Mosquera leads all Blue Knight swimmers with 11 wins and 9 school records.
Not to be outdone by the men, freshman swimmer Samantha Cowgill (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville HS) also posted 3 wins, 2 new records, and 27 total points at Bethany. Her wins came in the 200 free, the 500 free and the 200 breaststroke. She set new records in both 200-yard events, and she just missed a new record in the 500 free by less than a second. This year, Cowgill leads the women's team with 8 victories. She is tied with fellow freshman Kristen Henderson with 7 school records.
The swim teams have one meet remaining in 2 weeks at Marshall University.
Hurley, Mosquera Set 4 Records at Bethany
BETHANY, West Virginia (January 30, 2010) - Almost a year ago to the day, the Urbana University men's swim team beat the Bethany College Bison for the program's historic first victory. The Blue Knights nearly pulled off the feat again on Saturday, but the Urbana trio fell just short in a 66-58 defeat at Bethany.
However, the loss is not indicative of the Blue Knights' performance. Swimmers Brian Hurley and Said Mosquera won all 6 events they swam, setting 4 new school records in the process. Senior Baron Schneeman scored in both of his events as well, but the Bison picked up 11 crucial points in a relay event to take the match. Urbana could not compete in the relay since they were competing with only 3 swimmers. Bethany held the decisive advantage with 5 Bison swimmers on their men's squad.
Against the odds, the trio of Blue Knights nearly pulled off the upset as Hurley and Mosquera enjoyed career days in the pool. Each swimmer won all 3 individual events they swam for 27 points, and each set 2 new school records. Hurley won the 100 free, the 200 breaststroke, and the 500 free, setting new records in both freestyle events. Mosquera won the 50 free, the 200 free and the 200 backstroke, claiming new marks in the 50 free and 200 back. Mosquera's time of 24.29 in the 50 free just edged Hurley's record of 24.51 set last December at John Carroll University.
Schneeman wrapped up the Blue Knights' scoring with 4th place finishes in both the 50 and 100 freestyle races.
The Blue Knights wrap up their season in the Appalachian Swimming Championships hosted by Marshall University on February 19 and 20.
Swimmers Fall Short at Findlay
FINDLAY, Ohio (January 23, 2010) - Three Urbana University men's swimmers entered the pool on Saturday afternoon at the University of Findlay. The trio combined to score 135 points, falling short of the 213 put up by the host Oilers.
Urbana was led by sophomore Brian Hurley (pictured), who placed first in the 100 breaststroke, second in the 100 free, and third in the 50 free. His time of 24.57 was 3 seconds faster than the previous meet, and just six-hundredths off the school record which Hurley set last season as a freshman. Freshman Said Mosquera claimed runner-up finishes in the 200 free, the 100 fly, and the 100 back. Mosquera cut 8 seconds off his 200 free time from the previous meet, and he missed personal bests in the 100 fly and 100 back by about a second each. Senior Baron Schneeman rounded out the Blue Knights scoring with a 4th place finish in the 50 free and a 3rd place finish in the 100 free. Schneeman shaved more than 3 seconds off his previous 50 time and more than 10 seconds off his previous 100 time in the meet.
The Blue Knights return to the water next Saturday at Bethany College. The men's team earned its first career victory over Bethany in the final meet of its inaugural season last year. [Findlay Results]
Mosquera Leads Way Against #11 Indy
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (January 9, 2010) - The Urbana University men's and women's swim teams traveled to the University of Indianapolis over the weekend to test the waters against a D-II powerhouse. The Blue Knights and Greyhounds competed head-to-head in the single largest dual meet in Urbana's 2-year swimming history. Ten Blue Knights competed in 37 events against a much larger Greyhound squad, and although Urbana didn't come away with any individual wins, the team gained some valuable experience against the 11th ranked Indy men's team and the 15th ranked Indy women's team.
Returning to the pool after a 7-week lay-off, the Blue Knights shook off a little rust on Day 1. Freshman Kristen Henderson fared well in the 100 meter backstroke, placing 5th against 9 Greyhound swimmers. Freshman Rachel Kelly swam a 32.54 in the 50 meter freestyle to pace the Blue Knights in the event, followed by sophomore Lauren Turner (34.18) and senior Amy McOsker (38.60). In the men's 50 meter free, sophomore Brian Hurley led the way with a 9th place finish in a time of 27.60. Senior Kyle Bertz swam a 30.85 and senior Baron Schneeman finished in 33.93. Sophomore Sarah St. Clair was the only female to swim the 1500 meter freestyle, finishing in exactly 24 minutes.
Day 2 saw freshman Samantha Cowgill finish 10th against 15 Indy swimmers in the 100 meter breaststroke. Cowgill was the second fastest freshman in the water with a 1:31.98.
The top Blue Knight performer of the weekend was freshman Said Mosquera (pictured), who just narrowly missed 3 wins against some of top competition in the country. Mosquera finished runner-up in the 200m free, the 200m IM, and the 100m breaststroke. Teammate Brian Hurley came in 2 spots behind Mosquera with a 4th place finish in the 100m breaststroke. Mosquera missed out on the top spot on the podium in the 200m free by 16 hundredths of a second, and Indy's Seth Smoker edged Mosquera by exactly 1 tenth of a second in the 200m IM. In his 4th individual event of the weekend, Mosquera finished 3rd out of 13 swimmers in the 100m freestyle.
The Blue Knight men's team also set new team marks in the 400 free relay and the 200 medley relay, swimming the events for the first time in school history.
Both teams are back in action in two weeks at the University of Findlay. The Oilers' women's team received votes in the latest D-II team polls. That meet will begin at noon on Saturday, January 23rd. [Day 1 Results][Day 2 Results]
Men's Team Sets More Records;
Swims 1st Relay at FSU, WJU
WHEELING, Ohio (November 14, 2009) - This past weekend, the Urbana University men's and women's swim teams traveled to West Virginia to compete at Fairmont State University and Wheeling Jesuit University. The weekend proved to be a very eventful as the Blue Knights set 19 new school records, and the women's team earned the second win in program history.
First, at Fairmont State on Friday, the UU men's and women's teams combined to set 8 records. Record-setting performances were had by Said Mosquera (200 IM), Lauren Turner (100 free), Kristen Henderson (200 IM, 100 back), Samantha Cowgill (200 free), and Rachel Kelly (100 fly, 400 IM). Mosquera, Turner, and Cowgill also posted wins in their events. The Fairmont State meet was Kristen Henderson's first as a Blue Knight, and she did it in grand fashion taking part in 3 school records and placing 2nd in both of her individual events. She helped the women's 200 medley relay team, along with Cowgill, Kelly and Turner, set a new school record.
The women's team came up just short against Fairmont State, falling 80-76. Besides the record-setting performances from Turner, Cowgill, Henderson, and Kelly, the women's team also received strong swims from Sarah St. Clair (3rd in both 500 and 1000 free) and Amy McOsker, who nearly had personal bests in the 50 and 100 free in her first meet since joining the squad after finishing the soccer season.
The men's team competed in the first relay in school history, posting a 1:48.04 in the 200 free relay. Members of the record-setting team included Mosquera, Brian Hurley, Kyle Bertz and Baron Schneeman. Hurley also posted a win in the 100 breast and a runner-up finish in the 100 free. Bertz' best finish was a runner-up spot in the 100 breast, and Schneeman took 3rd in the 100 free. The Blue Knights finished behind a much larger Fairmont State team by a score of 86-55.
On Saturday, against Wheeling Jesuit University and Malone University, the Blue Knights set or broke 11 school records. Record-setting performances were had on the men's side by Mosquera (200 free, 200 back), Hurley (400 IM), and the 200 free relay team broke the school record, beating their Friday time by almost 4 seconds. Mosquera won the 100 back, and took runner-up finishes in both of his record-setting performances. Hurley finished 2nd in the 400 IM. The men's team finished 3rd in the meet.
The women's team records came from Cowgill (200 free, 200 breast), Kelly (100 fly), Henderson (100 back, 200 back, and 400 IM), and the 200 free relay team of Turner, Cowgill, Kelly and Henderson. Henderson posted 1st place finishes in 3 of her 4 races. She finished runner-up in the 100 back, the only event she did not win on Saturday. On the weekend, she swam in 7 races, and set new school records in all 7. Her impressive debut helped the Blue Knights defeat Malone University for the 2nd win in program history. Malone had defeated the Blue Knights earlier in the season.
The Blue Knights are off for nearly 2 months during the holidays. They return to the pool on January 8-9 for a large invitational hosted by the University of Indianapolis. [FSU_vs_Urbana_2009_results.htm][WJU_results.htm]
UU's 2-Man Team Impresses in 2 Matches
WILMINGTON, Ohio (November 7, 2009) - Urbana's 2-man team of Brian Hurley and Said Mosquera did very well against full teams from Ohio Wesleyan University and Wilmington College over the weekend. The duo combined for 29 points against OWU's 117 on Friday night, before posting 39 points against Wilmington's 66 points on Saturday.
Hurley (pictured left) picked up a win (50 free vs. OWU) and 3 runner-up finishes (50 free vs. Wilmington, and 100 breast stroke both days). Mosquera claimed a win and broke Hurley's school record in the 200-yard medley against OWU. He had a runner-up finish in the 100-yard fly against OWU. Then, the freshman from Sunrise, Florida swept his 3 events against Wilmington, winning the 100 breast stroke and the 100 and 200 free. Mosquera broke Hurley's school record in the 100 free.
The Blue Knights are back in action next weekend. The teams travel to Fairmont State for another Friday night dual meet. On Saturday, they meet Malone and Wheeling Jesuit in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Mosquera Earns Win, 2 Records in 1st Meet
CANTON, Ohio (October 24, 2009) - The Urbana University swim team began their 2nd season of intercollegiate competition on Saturday at Malone University. The Blue Knights had 2 swimmers competing for the men's team. Second-year swimmer Brian Hurley and newcomer Said Mosquera (pictured) combined to score 25 points for Urbana, as the duo settled for 3rd place against much larger squads from Malone and the University of Findlay.
Mosquera, a freshman from Sunrise, Florida, fared very well in his first 2 collegiate events. Mosquera started with a new school-record in the 100-yard fly (55.95). He finished in 2nd place, just 0.88 seconds behind Tim Lind-Andersson from Findlay. Next, Mosquera earned his first collegiate victory with a school-record 59.93 in the 100-yard backstroke. Mosquera defeated 3 other swimmers in the event, the closest of which was more than 4.5 seconds behind him.
Hurley set 2 personal bests in his 3 races, capturing 2 runner-up finishes along with a 3rd place finish. His personal bests and new school records came in the 100-yard freestyle (56.60) and the 100-yard breast stroke (1:09.16). He finished the 50-yard freestyle in 24.94, just 2-hundredths of a second behind Findlay's Lind-Andersson.
The Blue Knights return to the pool in 2 weeks, traveling to Ohio Wesleyan University on Friday, November 6th. [Full Results]