Florida Gulf Coast, Kansas, Denver, & Binghamton Name 2020-2021 Captains

While administrators around the country have expressed uncertainty about what a 2020-2021 collegiate athletics season might look like, college swimming & diving programs around the country are moving forward with their plans.

For at least 5 Division I colleges, that includes announcing 2020-2021 season captains.

Florida Gulf Coast

The 2020 CCSA conference runners-up named Petra Halmai, Tori Czarnecka, and Michaela Sizemore as captains for the 2020-2021 season.

• Petra Halmai, senior – The Hungarian senior was the CCSA Swimmer of the Year and was the 10th seed in the 200 breast for the 2020 NCAA Championships before that meet was cancelled.
• Tori Czarnecka, junior – The Polish junior won the CCSA title last season in the 50 free with an NCAA ‘b’ time of 22.40.
• Michaela Sizemore, sophomore – The sophomore from Virginia finished 4th at the CCSA Championships in the mile last season.

Finally, we named our captains for the 2⃣0⃣2⃣0⃣-2⃣1⃣ season!

Congratulations to Petra Halmai, @wiktoria05 and @mikeandcheesee 😎👏

Who else can't wait for next season?! 🙋‍♀️🙋#WingsUp 🤙🦅🌴 pic.twitter.com/IwL1f5IRop

— FGCU Swim & Dive (@fgcu_wswimdive) April 11, 2020

Denver – Women

The Denver Pioneers, the dominant team in the Summit League, won their 7th-straight conference title last season without losing a single swimming event. They have named as captains Uma Knaven, Aysia Leckie, Charlotte Simon, and Emily Vandenberg. All 4 swimmers are seniors, and only 1, Knaven (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) is American born. Last season, the team had 3 captains, and all graduated.

• Uma Knaven, senior – Last year, the rising senior was the Summit League Champion in the 400 IM (4:21.43).
• Aysia Leckie, senior – The rising senior from Ontario was a 5-time league champion last season, swimming as part of the winning 200, 400, and 800 free relays, and winning both the 100 free (50.57) and 200 free (1:49.54) individually. That was the second-straight year where she won those same 5 events.
• Charlotte Simon, senior – A rising senior from France, Simon won the 2020 Summit League titles in both the 200 IM (2:02.68) and 200 breast (2:15.65).
• Emily Vandenberg, senior – The rising senior from Ontario was 2nd in the 200 IM and 200 breast at the 2020 Summit League Championships, and 3rd in the 400 IM. She swept the league IM titles in 2019 as a sophomore.

Excited to announce our 2020–21 women’s captains. #PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/qGckabgq0K

— Denver Swim & Dive (@DU_SwimDive) April 15, 2020

Denver – Men

Matching their women with a 7th-straight league title, Denver lost just a single event at the Summit League championship: the 100 IM (which they did not enter). The team was due to send both individuals and relays to the NCAA Championship meet. The team has named 4 captains: Cam Auchinachie, Cy Jager, Darragh Mahns, and Adriel Sanes. Auchinachie, the team’s top swimmer, is a second-year captain.

• Cameron Auchinachie, senior – A 2020 NCAA qualifier in the 50 back, 100 back, and 100 free was also the anchor of 4 NCAA-eligible Denver relays. 2020 would have been his 2nd NCAA Championship meet.
• Cy Jager, senior – Jager, another member of the NCAA Championship team, won 4 Summit League titles, including the 100 fly individually (48.59). He was also 2nd in the 100 breast (53.52) and 200 breast (2:00.49).
• Darragh Mahns, senior – Mahns’ best finish at the 2020 Summit League Championships was 6th place in the 200 free in 1:39.57.
• Adriel Sanes, senior – another member of the Denver relays bound for NCAAs, Sanes was also qualified to swim the 100 breast and 200 breast individually. He set, alone or as part of a relay, Denver records in 6 events this season.

Introducing our 2020-21 men's captains.#PioneerTogether pic.twitter.com/bSdjgtWrcO

— Denver Swim & Dive (@DU_SwimDive) April 16, 2020

Kansas – Women

After a 7-1 dual meet season, the Kansas women finished 2nd at the Big 12 Championships with a program-record 831 points. The team graduated all 4 captains at the end of last season, and have named 3 new leaders for 2020-2021: Dannie Dilsaver, Ellie Flanagan, and Lauryn Parrish.

• Dannie Dilsaver, senior – The Lincoln, Nebraska native finished 3rd in both the 200 IM and 400 IM at the Big 12 Championships in 2020.
• Ellie Flanagan, senior – A senior from Columbia, Missouri, was the 6th-best 200 butterflier at the Big 12 Championships, though she was on the non-scoring team.
• Lauryn Parrish, senior – The senior finished 8th in both the 200 free and 200 back at the Big 12 Championships last season.

Say hello to your 2020-21 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔‼️ #RockChalk | #KUswimdive pic.twitter.com/aCobC6rEpa

— Kansas Swim & Dive (@KUSwimDive) April 16, 2020

Binghamton – Women

The Binghamton women finished 4th out of 7 teams at the 2020 America East Championships. The team has named 3 captains, all rising seniors, for next season. Sophia Howard, Abby McHugh, and Katie Smolar will be the team’s captains next season.

• Sophia Howard, senior – Howard, a diving captain, finished 2nd on 3-meter and third on 1-meter at the America East Championships.
• Abby McHugh, senior – McHugh represented the team in 11 meets last season.
• Katie Smolar, senior – Arguably the team’s top performer last season, Smolar was the 2020 America East Champion in the 200 free.

Introducing our 2020-21 women's team captains! Stay tuned for the introducing on our men's captains later today! #BingPride pic.twitter.com/T1fIXV7JEZ

— Binghamton Swim & Dive (@BinghamtonSWIM) April 15, 2020

Binghamton – Men

The Binghamton men placed 2nd, out of 4 teams, at the America East Championships for the third-straight season. The team will have 3 captains next season: senior Cameron Deguzman, senior diver David Walters, and junior Benjamin Beldner.

• Benjamin Beldner, junior – Beldner, the youngest captain on the team, was 7th in the 100 fly and 100 free at the America East Championships.
• Cameron Deguzman, senior – Deguzman, whose younger brother will be a junior on the team next season, finished in the points of both the 1,650 free and 400 IM at the 2020 America East Championships.
• David Walters, senior – Walters finished 2nd on 1-meter and 4th on 3-meter at the America East Championships to earn all-conference recognition.

Now here are the men's 2020-21 team captains! #BingPride pic.twitter.com/2xDGA15jFe

— Binghamton Swim & Dive (@BinghamtonSWIM) April 15, 2020