ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The St. Bonaventure Women's Swimming and Diving team ushers in a new campaign under new leadership in 2022-23, after the hiring of head coach Mike Smiechowski in July. The new season gets under way on Thursday, Sept. 29 with a meet at St. Francis (Pa.). 

Smiechowski comes to Bonaventure after a three-year stint as head coach at nearby Alfred State. As a former mid-major swimmer at UNC Wilmington, coaching at the Atlantic 10 level excites the new Bonnies coach. 

"The vision of creating a mid-major program that can compete for championships was very appealing to me," Smiechowski said. "That and the fact that I have made my home in Western New York, the opportunity to stay in the area and do that was very exciting." 

Eight newcomers join the Bonnies roster this year: Eylul Alli, Kathryn Beyer, Paris Christie, Rylie Foley, Sanayia Joefield, Kathryn Lyons, Laynee Mosbacher and Nele Vetter all look to make an impact as freshmen for a team coming off an eighth-place finish at the A-10 Championships last year.  

The goal for the group of freshmen is laid out quite simply by their coach. 

"The goal is to be able to have them help out and score," Smiechowski said. "You need 18 people to score. As we bring in new recruiting classes going forward, we need some sustainability on our roster to build off. Getting people to score is really the priority." 

Despite losing a lot of leadership and scoring from last year's team, four seniors return for the Bonnies who look to fill those leadership roles: Allison Lenda, Maria Mangini, Beth Thomas and Mary Wilson have been tasked with leading new teammates while establishing a culture for the squad. 

"They have done a great job of creating a team culture and change the expectations of the program to be a long-term championship contender. This is a retooling year for us, so they have gotten behind that notion that this is the start of that new era," shared their new head coach.  

With the season fast approaching, underclassmen Vetter and Silvana Cabrera have caught the eye of Smiechowski in the preseason as Bonnies who could have a major impact for the Brown and White this year. 

"Nele has done a really good job, as well as Silvana during this preseason," Smiechowski said. 

Cabrera, a sophomore, was a part of last season's 200-medley team that finished in fifth at the A-10 Championships. Fellow sophomore Halle Myers was also a member of that same 200-medley team that placed themselves third all-time in top-ten finishes in Bonaventure history.  

They are joined by Caitlyn Clements, Maggie Holst, Ellie Kraus, and McKenna Shearing as a part of the Bonnies sophomore class, while Madelyn Green, Paige Kasemsuwannakaeth, Kylie McKee, Maggie Metcalf and Amy O'Rourke return as juniors. 

Following the lid lifter at St. Francis, the Bonnies head to Central New York for the Colgate Invitational on Oct. 7-8. A week later the Brown and White hit the road again for a tri-meet at Cleveland State, and then close out October at the A-10 Invitational. After another trip to Cleveland State in mid-November, the Bonnies host their home opener at the Reilly Center against Canisius on Dec. 3.  

The Buffalo Diving Invitational and a meet at Binghamton occupy the middle of January before the regular season closes out on Jan. 28 at home against Gannon. The A-10 Championships are slated for Feb. 15-18. 

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