Josh Tosoni and Dakota Williams each swam to record breaking finishes in the first swim meet of the season for Seton Hall, as the team took home many first and second place finishes at Rider University despite falling in the match.
Tosoni spoke highly on his expectations on the season for the back-to-back Big East champions.
“Right now, in the fall, we’re trying to get in all the work we can,” Tosoni said. “Dual meets don’t matter much as we try to focus on the end goal. We put in the work in the weight room and our diet to be the best we can for the Big East season.”
The Arnold, Md. native’s time of 57.45 in the 100-yard breaststroke was good enough to secure a pool record at Rider. He then added to the stellar performance by securing the win in the 200-yard breaststroke – another pool record with a time of 2:06.21.
Tosoni also spoke about his personal growth as a swimmer, emphasizing the importance of other events to help the team win.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
“I try to focus on something every day in practice to get better,” Tosoni said. “I did well in breaststrokes last season, but my third event, the 200-yard IM, is what I want to improve on this year.”
Williams, one of three Pirates who won multiple events at the meet, set a record for the 50-yard freestyle at Coppola Pool. Williams’ time of 20.88 was four-tenths of a second off the time he swam to become the Big East Champion in 2017. That same season, Williams won the 100-yard freestyle and was a part of the winning relay squad in the Big East Championship. Williams also won the 100-yard freestyle at Rider with a time of 46.10.
Both swimmers repeated the success that they had at Rider at the second meet of the season, as the Pirates defeated Montclair State University.
Tosoni was the second leg on the first-place team in the 200-yard medley relay and finished second place in the 200-yard freestyle.
Williams paced the 200-yard free field, as he finished first in the event in front of Tosoni.
As the Pirates look to repeat the success of the past two seasons, upperclassmen like Tosoni and Williams will be part of the focal points for Seton Hall men’s swimming and diving. Williams, already with Big East Championship victories, will use his experience to replicate the past seasons of success, while Tosoni looks to implement the improvements he has made to his swimming when the championship events take place.
Head coach Derek Sapp was extremely successful in his inaugural season as head coach last season. After serving as an assistant on the 2016-17 championship team, Sapp took what he learned and applied it, leading the men’s swimming and diving team to the Championship in 2017-18. The next point of emphasis for him will be maintaning that level with for this year’s still motivated team.
“If we can continue to get better, I expect us to win again,” Tosoni said confidently. “I don’t expect anything less.
Evando Thompson can be reached evando.thompson@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @Thompsev.
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