Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 2 | October 2016

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“Both teams feature as strong of leadership as maybe in my time
here at Virginia Tech,” Skinner said. “These are the most accomplished
swimmers, students, people and Hokies that I’ve ever encountered.
They lead by example, they care in the locker room, and they look out
for each other. That, as the starting point, helps me rest easy knowing
that we’ve got the right foundation.”
That foundation features seniors Brandon Fiala and Robert Owen
on the men’s side, and junior Klaudia Nazieblo on the women’s side.
Fiala was named the Most Valuable Swimmer at last year’s ACC
Championships, where he earned two gold medals and set two meet
records, including a time of 1:52.87 in the 200 breaststroke. He went
on to earn All-America honors in the 200 breast, 100 breast and 200
individual medley, concluding one of the top seasons by a men’s
swimmer in the history of the program.
Before being the first Hokie to be named to the USA Swimming
National Team last month, Owen registered honorable mention All-
America performances in the 200 backstroke and 400 individual
medley. He finished sixth overall in the 400 IM at the U.S. Olympic
Swim Trials with a time of 1:57.48. Nazieblo earned All-America
honors in the 200 butterfly and broke school records in the 200
backstroke and 400 IM last season. She is arguably one of the most
versatile swimmers on the Hokies’ roster.
The trio will help usher in a new era for the program. When
commenting on the newcomers, Skinner expects bumps in the road,
but they possess the chance to become successful if they take care of
the minute details.
“The learning curve is undeniable,” Skinner said. “Every area
requires attention, from eating habits, to sleep, to practice.”
One of the women’s swimmers facing a learning curve is Eleanor
Matheson, though hers figures to be a tad easier. She recorded two
trials cuts at the Olympic Trials. She arrived on campus in the second
of half of summer, and she put herself in a position to become an
immediate factor. Skinner also praised Grace Kowal and Centreville,
Virginia native Chloe Hicks as two with the talent and tools to find
success immediately at Tech.
They join Jess Hespeler and Adriana Grabski, two Olympic Trials
participants this past summer and two veterans who expect to lead
the Hokies in the freestyle events.
“Jess is world class in anything freestyle,” Skinner said. “With
that, she has brought up Grabski, who has started to emerge and will
become a force to be reckoned with in the ACC and at the NCAAs.”
As with the men, Skinner remains confident with his swimmers
in the individual medley events on the women’s side. Nazieblo and
Fiona Donnelly, the school record holder in the 200 and 400 IM, lead
the contingent, and he expects Matheson to be a factor in these events
as well. He hopes Kelly Henry take over as a leader and performer on
the rise in the breaststroke discipline, where the Hokies lack depth.
Fiala leads the way in the breaststroke events on the men’s side,
and freshmen Luke Jones and Simon Shi, a Leesburg, Virginia
product, look like they possess the ability to help the Hokies. Skinner
expects the Hokies’ success in the butterfly to continue, as sophomore
Norbert Szabo, an Olympian for Hungary this past summer,
sophomore Brent Benedict and newcomer Hassler Carroll add talent
and depth. Skinner is also confident in sophomore Ian Ho and senior
Caroline Buscaglia, the program’s top sprinters on the men’s and
women’s sides, respectively.
In addition to setting goals in the pool for this upcoming season,
the men’s and women’s teams have set academic goals for the year.
The Hokies’ team GPA consistently ranks at the top among the other
programs in the athletics department and their goals reflect the ideals
of their head coach.
“To me, the academic component feeds into the athletics
component,” Skinner said. “If you’re good in school, you’re going to
be good in swimming. That’s how I see it.”
MAGGIE
GRUBER