knights swimming april 2025

A special thank you to all of our seniors! You have made an incredible impact on our program and you will be missed!

Senior Spotlight

Q&A with victoria deluca, class of 2025

My favorite part of being on the team is the progress I was able to make. The team had a great atmosphere. Everyone wants the best for each other.

Q: What events do you swim?

The 500 and 1,000 free.

Q: What motivated you to join the swim team?

I’ve been a competitive swimmer for 10 years before joining MSMC swim. I decided not to swim in college thinking I would not miss it. I was wrong. When I decided to transfer schools I made sure the schools I applied to had a swim program. MSMC was at the top of my list due to the convenience of being back in a pool I knew very well and knowing the coaching staff was great. I had one phone call with Coach Chris reminiscing on club team days and I decided to accept MSMC.

Q: What has been your favorite part about being on the team?

My favorite part of being on the team is the progress I was able to make. The team had a great atmosphere. Everyone wants the best for each other. Not only was I able to achieve my goals in the pool I was also able to achieve a lot of growth as a person.

Q: What has been your proudest moment as a member of the MSMC swim team so far?

My proudest moment was at senior Mets 2025. I was finally able to break 7 minutes in my 500 free. I worked very hard in the gym during the summer and fall of 2024 to achieve this. Going a 6:56 was a proud moment for me. All my hard work paid off.

Q: How would you describe the team atmosphere?

Supportive and fun!

Q: What is your major, and how have you balanced academics with athletics?

I am a Biological Psychology Major. I balance academics pretty well. Being a student-athlete all my life helped me learn to balance school, swim, and work.

Q: What are your plans post-graduation?

I plan to continue my education to become a Respiratory Therapist.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience as an MSMC swimmer?

I just really appreciated the opportunity.

Alumni Spotlight

Q&A with Jake Schoenherr, Class of 2018

The swim team made my college experience so much better because we became a family. We uplifted each other and that’s what made us even stronger. Shout-out to all my past swimmers from the years 2014-2017!

Q: What events did you primarily swim?

During my three years of swimming for MSMC, my primary swim events were the 50 & 100-yard freestyle and breaststroke. Coach Daniel Drury tried to put me in longer events like the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle, but we learned pretty soon that I was a sprinter.

Q: What made you decide to join the team?

I wasn’t planning on swimming in my years of college. However, at the time, Coach Danielle Lindner and Assistant Coach Daniel Drury caught me looking at the pool in Kaplan and asked me some questions about my swimming career. They spoke with my dad who was an Alumni swimmer from SUNY New Paltz. They introduced me to other freshmen swimmers during a get-together event and thus started my first friendships at MSMC. I will never forget the kindness Coach Lindner showed me during my first few days on campus.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories from being part of the team?

My favorite memories of being a part of the MSMC swim team were our annual training trip in Deerfield Beach, Florida. We had practice early in the morning with the sunrise, and then practice in the afternoon during the sunset. Everyone wasn’t too happy about afternoon practices because the pool was a meter pool and was always freezing due to the sun not being out. Another great memory is our team breakfast after every practice. Most of the team would walk together to the View at Aquinas, and sit at a large table. Since we burned so many calories at practice we would get plates and plates of food, and chat before classes started. A special memory for me was working with Ryan Ward, who was also a sprinter at MSMC. Throughout my 3 years swimming, he and I were always neck and neck, pushing each other to get better. He would win some races, and I would win some races. It was a good rivalry that I cherished.

Q: What was your proudest accomplishment as a swimmer at MSMC?

My proudest accomplishment as a swimmer was beating the 100-yard freestyle record and 50-yard breaststroke, and still holding onto those records. Another great accomplishment was beating 3 relay records in 2017 with some of the greatest swimmers I have been with, like Robert Kohlus and Kyle Barber.

Q: How did being on the swim team impact your college experience?

The swim team made my college experience so much better because we became a family. We had many swimmers on the team while I was there, and we helped each other through our college experience. When you wake up every day at 5:30 am to walk to Kaplan through all types of weather to get to swim practice, it creates a sense of unity. Some swimmers went through difficult times throughout their swim careers, some even wanted to quit, but we uplifted each other and that’s what made us even stronger.

Q: What have you been doing since graduating?

After graduation, I got a job as a teacher in the Bronx teaching middle school Mathematics. I received my Master’s degree in Mathematics from Iona College. Eventually, I moved up to Orange County and moved in with my fiancé Samantha Mullarkey, an MSMC alumni, to start teaching at Meadow Hill School in Newburgh. I always enjoyed the Newburgh Enlarged City School District and wanted to come back. I currently have been teaching 2nd grade for 3 years now, and am looking forward to welcoming my daughter.

Q: How did your experiences as a student-athlete at MSMC influence your career or personal life?

Being a student-athlete helped me balance my career and personal life. As a student-athlete, you are spending most of your time going to practice and meets, while balancing your college courses and projects. Time management is a big part of being a teacher and being a student-athlete has helped me with this.

Q: Are you still involved in swimming or any other sports?

Currently, I play basketball on Sundays with a wide variety of Newburgh employees and do weight-lifting on my own time. In the future, I would like to start coaching swimming in Newburgh and get back to the water at MSMC.

Q: Is there any advice you would like to give to current swimmers or student-athletes at MSMC?

My advice for student-athletes and current swimmers at MSMC is to work hard. There is nothing else like the work ethic you put into your college sport. When it is all over, you will miss the grind and the support you have.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about your time at MSMC?

I would like to shout out a few alumni swimmers and coaches who have made me the person I am today and the father to my future daughter. Shout out to Coach Danielle Lindner and Daniel Drury for seeing my potential when I didn’t. Shout out to Ryan Ward for pushing me and being my first good friend at MSMC. Shout out to Jessica McClure and Samantha McGregor for continuing to be there for me after college. Finally Shout-Out to all my past swimmers from the years 2014-2017!