The Penn State Altoona men's and women's swimming teams embark on their 2024-25 schedules with high hopes. Last season, both squads finished with winning records in their regular-season dual meet schedules before performing well in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championships, where each team finished in third place.

The men's and women's teams, led by seventh-year head coach Brad Brooks, both feature solid depth this year. Each squad returns some of its top swimmers from last season while adding some talented newcomers to the lineup.

The Penn State Altoona men's and women's swimming teams both begin their 2024-25 schedules on the road against non-conference opponent Washington & Jefferson College on Friday, October 11, at 6 p.m.

Men's Swimming 2024-25 Preview

The Penn State Altoona men's swimming program posted a highly successful 2023-24 campaign. During the regular season, the Lions won eight of their nine dual meets. The team carried its momentum into the AMCC Championships last February, where Penn State Altoona racked up a program-record 566.5 points to finish the four-day meet in third place.

The 2024-25 edition of the men's team features a deep and versatile returning core, which consists of senior Jack Zisa (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury), juniors Adam Dotts (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin), Brian Nguyen (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township), and Caden Traggiai (Sarver, PA/Knoch), and sophomores Joseph Fazio (Conshohocken, PA/Plymouth Whitemarsh), Eugene Heyman (Boiling Springs, PA/Boiling Springs), Lincoln Johnson (Huntingtown, MD/Huntingtown), Nicolas Louis (Queens, NY/Rabun Gap Naccochee), Hunter McMullen (Colver, PA/Central Cambria), Andrew Miller (Easton, PA/Easton), and Rocco Solimeo (Harrisburg, PA/Bishop McDevitt).

All 11 returners played roles for the Lions in last year's AMCC Championships, highlighted by second-place individual finishes from Traggiai in the 500 and 1,650 Yard Freestyle swims and a runner-up finish from Dotts in the 50 Yard Freestyle. Dotts, Johnson, Solimeo, Traggiai, and Zisa also played parts in a trio of second-place freestyle relay finishes.

Additionally, the Lions' returners had a hand in setting nine new team records last season.

"Our returners are led by team captains Adam Dotts and Caden Traggiai. Both are coming off very successful 2023-24 campaigns that saw them help rewrite the individual and relay record boards and produce top finishes in the conference. We expect both of them to continue to develop this season and lead us into our first combined conference championship meet with the SUNYAC," said Brooks. "Brian Nguyen comes back as our top breaststroker and will take aim at the school's 200 Breaststroke record after a great start to training this season. Our deep sophomore class will look to take a step forward after being a major reason that we were able to win eight dual meets last season. Lincoln Johnson, Rocco Solimeo, and Hunter McMullen lead our butterfly and sprint groups, and were within striking distance of multiple individual school records, while being a part of multiple relay records at the conference championships. EJ Heyman and Nic Louis have been pushing backstroke volume early this season and will both look to make an impact at the championship level in those events. Joining Caden in our mid-distance and distance free training groups are Andrew Miller and Joey Fazio. Both guys are taking on a more significant training workload and will compete in the 200, 500, and 1000 Free at dual meets for us."

The Lions also welcome six newcomers to the fold this year: freshmen Jonathan Bandy (Saint Marys, PA/Saint Marys), Benjamin Dotts (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin), Edem Egbarin-Aho (Silver Spring, MD/Wheaton), Ian Jovan Nawangwe (Kampala, Uganda/Uganda High Schools), Shuo Sun (Falls Church, VA/China High Schools), and Nick Trabucco (Carlisle, PA/Boiling Springs).

"Our freshmen have already assimilated well into practice groups, and we are really excited to see them start competing. Ben Dotts brings depth to our butterfly and IM groups, and his versatility will be key as we continue to expand his event lineup and find events where he can be an A-finalist at the conference level," Brooks said. "Nick Trabucco and Edem Egbarin-Aho will join our growing sprint and mid-distance free groups and look to expand into some stroke events to provide us more options at dual meets. Johnny Bandy has already made huge strides in training and is one of the most naturally powerful swimmers I've coached, and I look forward to seeing his technique develop and how he can extend that power into the 100 and 200 Free. Shuo Sun has the potential to be a podium finisher in multiple freestyle events, and we will be able to utilize his talent in a variety of events throughout the dual meet season."

Brooks recognizes that his men's team has the combination of talent and hunger to take a step forward in 2024-25.

"Coming off a successful 2023-24 season that saw our men go 8-1 in dual meets, expectations are high, and the team wants to continue to grow and take another step forward," he said. "We recognize and welcome the challenge of joining the SUNYAC for our joint conference meet and plan to be in the mix for a top-four finish against some very competitive teams. We are really looking forward to getting meets started and working together to continue to push our men's program to new heights."

Women's Swimming 2024-25 Preview

The Penn State Altoona women's swimming team went 6-4 in dual meets last season before placing third in the AMCC Championships in February, where the Lions scored 469 points as a team. The squad's biggest strength in 2024-25 will be its 11-swimmer group of returners, all of whom were significant contributors for the team on a regular basis last year.

Penn State Altoona's roster this season welcomes back seniors Madison Coleman (Altoona, PA/Tyrone), McKenna Holl (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin), Sarah Petry (St. Benedict, PA/Cambria Heights), and Hailey Toth (Tamaqua, PA/Tamaqua), juniors Isabella Rhoades (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) and Teah Sponsler (Halifax, PA/Halifax), and sophomores Katie Chen (Jacksonville, FL/Creekside), Julia Daley (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy), Emma Fraundorfer (Altoona, PA/Altoona), Ayva Harris (Monroeville, PA/Gateway), and Ava Monborne (Ebensburg, PA/Central Cambria).

Petry was Penn State Altoona's top finisher in the AMCC Championships last winter, thanks to her second-place finish in the 200 Yard Freestyle, and she also set a new team record in the 1,650 Yard Freestyle during the four-day championship meet. The Lions' 10 other returners all bring postseason experience that will benefit the team this season.

"Our women's returners are led by team captains Sarah Petry, Madison Coleman, and McKenna Holl. Aside from being great leaders and role models on the team, all three are extremely impactful swimmers that had multiple A-final finishes at conferences in 2024. Sarah leads our mid-distance and distance free groups, McKenna remains a top sprinter and backstroker, and Maddy has expanded her lineup to include the free, fly, and IM events. It certainly makes things easier having captains that are able to lead us through the majority of events in dual meets and set a great example for the underclassmen," said Brooks. "Our breaststroke group includes Ayva Harris, Bella Rhoades, and Hailey Toth. Rhoades and Harris both scored in breaststroke events last year at conferences, and Toth is a school record holder in the 400 Medley Relay who rejoins us after a couple years away from the pool, which we are really excited about. Ava Monborne excelled at conferences last year, coming away with three lifetime bests and emerged as one of the top sprinters in our conference. Teah Sponsler has had success in fly and back, both in her freshman and sophomore years, and is always reliable to score points at dual meets and the conference level. Julia Daley and Emma Fraundorfer have had an exceptional first month of practice and I've been really impressed with the work they've put in. I really can't wait to see them swim in meets and look forward to seeing them swim lifetime bests at the end of the season."

Four freshmen will infuse the roster with new talent, as the Lions welcome Alexis Buchala (Tamaqua, PA/Tamaqua), Anna Heller (Huntingdon, PA/Huntingdon), Liyana Mary (New York, NY/Quest to Learn), and Claire Smith (Hellertown, PA/Saucon Valley).

"The newcomers this year have been really exciting to watch at practice, and I think they are going to develop into a really productive group that leads our program in the future. Lexi Buchala has a ton of talent and versatility through the freestyle and IM events, and I think she has the potential to quickly become one of the best distance and IM swimmers in the AMCC," Brooks stated. "Anna Heller has been so consistent in her improvements every year through her high school career, and based on her training, I fully expect that to continue this year. She will work with our competitive mid-distance free group and join Sponsler and Coleman in some of the butterfly events as the season goes on. Claire Smith has range from the 50 all the way up to the 500 Free, which makes her a very important piece in the dual meet lineup puzzle. I've already seen flashes of her ability in the other strokes as well, and I'm curious to see how we can develop her technique to make her a competitor in multiple events. Liyana Mary comes to us after a year off of swimming and will compete in the distance free, IM, and breaststroke events."

Brooks is looking forward to the returners on his women's team continuing to improve to lead the Lions to new heights in 2024-25, with some new talent in the lineup adding to the squad's success.

"It's really exciting to realize that we are returning the majority of our women's team from last year, including 95 percent of our team's points at conference championships," he said. "With our continued development of upperclassmen and the presence of some very impactful freshmen, I think we can make a run at a top-four finish at the end of the year in our new conference endeavor. We have a strong dual meet schedule that will set us up well and prepare us for challenging conference competition come February. I'm expecting a lot from our women, and I am confident they will deliver and exceed expectations for a great season."