by Jim Mullins
Assistant Director
Sports Information

Garza's first season accomplishments in diving highlight Corsairs' swimming and diving season

(Dartmouth, MA) -- UMass Dartmouth swimming and diving coach Jerry Jennings had a total of 16 swimmers and divers qualify for the 1999 New England championships, but it was the accomplishment of first-year diver Jeff Garza (Groton, MA) which was the most surprising.

What made Garza's rookie season achievements so unique was that he was new to the sport of intercollegiate diving. Less than five months after joining the Corsair swimming and diving team and taking his first practice dives, Garza traveled to Williams College in Williamstown, MA and competed against the top collegiate divers in the region.

Garza finished 22nd overall in the New England championships, the top finish by a UMass Dartmouth swimmer or diver for the season. Garza's appearance in the championships, consisting of swimmers and divers from Division I, II and III institutions from the region, capped a season in which he captured eight first-place finishes in 10 dual meets for the Corsairs.

"What he has accomplished in his first year is exceptional," said Jennings, the Corsairs' interim swimming coach, who has been coaching UMass Dartmouth's divers since 1987.

The Corsairs' men's and women's swimming and diving teams produced 1-9 overall records, but both had several individual success stories.

For the Corsairs' women swimmers and divers, UMass Dartmouth had nine athletes qualify for the New England championships. Among the Corsairs who achieved post-season qualification times during the 1998-99 season were sophomores Antonia Cardoza (New Bedford, MA), Mary MacGregor (Bridgewater, MA), Kelly Rogue (New Bedford, MA), Erin Sullivan (Attleboro, MA) and Jill Tereshko (Chelmsford, MA). Four first-year swimmers posted times qualifying for the New Englands including, Eileen Daly (Agawam, MA), Jill Palumbo (Harmony, RI), Dianna Parisi (Arlington, MA) and Erika Henkel (Pequannock, NJ).

The top individual performance turned in by a member of the Corsairs' women's team came from MacGregor on Jan. 30 against Babson College. In a 123-113 Corsair lloss, MacGregor earned three first-place finishes for UMass Dartmouth, taking the 1,000 Free, the 50 Free and the 100 Free.

On the men's side, the Corsairs produced seven athletes who qualified for the New England championships. Joining Garza in qualifying for post-season competition were sophomore Matthew Christ (Belchertown, MA), freshman Jaren Hawxwell (W. Boxford, MA), sophomore Nick Laliberte (Biddeford, ME), junior Andrew Rogers (Natick, MA), junior captain Matthew Tweedie (New Bedford, MA) and sophomore Gary Jones (Seekonk, MA).

Tweedie and Jones turned in the top individual performances for the men's team during the 1998-99 season. In a 116.5-115.5 loss to Worcester Polytech on Jan. 16, Tweedie captured three first-place finishes, including the 1,000 Free, the 200 IM and the 100 Breast. Jones almost matched Tweedie's performance on Jan 19 in the Corsairs 125-81 win over Wheaton College. Jones had victories in the 50 Free and the 100 Free and was part of the winning 200 Free Relay team.