PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Penn State Altoona men's swimmer Adam Capatch (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg) earned first team Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference All-Conference honors in four events and also was named the league Newcomer of the Year Friday when the AMCC Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving All-Conference teams were announced.

All-conference selections are based on event finish at the AMCC Championships, which were held last Thursday through Saturday in Grove City, PA.

Capatch, a freshman, was a first team selection in the 200 IM, 100 Breast, 200 Breast, and 200 Medley Relay with Dan Palermo (Garnet Valley, PA/Garnet Valley), Bryan Dau (Princeton, NJ/Notre Dame), and Jimmy Reilly (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley).  Capatch set new Penn State Altoona pool records in the 200 IM and 200 Breast.

Sophomore Dan Bodde (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg) got second team all-league accolades in the 50 Free, 200 Free, joined Dau, Palermo, and Reilly for second team honors in the 400 Free Relay, and also helped Capatch, Palermo, and Reilly take second team in the 800 Free Relay.

Dau collected an individual second team all-league honor in the 100 Fly, while Palermo earned the same award in the 200 Back.

Penn State Behrend was the men's team champion with Penn State Altoona, Frostburg State, and Pitt-Bradford finishing second through fourth, respectively.

On the women's side, freshman Whitney Weston (South Williamsport, PA/South Williamsport) won second team all-conference honors in the 200 Free and joined teammates to earn second team distinction in the 400 Free Relay and 800 Free Relay.

She joined with Caroline Smith (New Carrollton, MD/Elizabeth Seton), Melissa DeFelice (Pittsburgh, PA/Chartiers Valley), and Brittany Bauer (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks South) in the 800 Free before helping Smith, DeFelice, and Emily McAleer (Altoona, PA/Altoona) in the 400 Free.

Lion diver Mollie Torello (Avondale, PA/Avon Grove) got second team recognition in the 1 meter diving portion of the championships.

Penn State Behrend also won the women's team championships with Frostburg State, Penn State Altoona, and Pitt-Bradford finishing second through fourth, respectively. 

It took less than a month for Adam Capatch to shatter a pair of longstanding York College pool records in the 200 Yard IM and 100 Yard Breaststroke, two events in which he has not lost all season.

Not bad for a young man who contemplated giving up the sport after high school.

“I chose Penn State Altoona because I wanted to go to Penn State for the Information Sciences and Technology program,” recalls Capatch, a native of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. “To be honest, I wasn't sure after my senior year in high school if I was going to swim anymore, but I got here and thought I’d give it a try.”

Typically calm, almost to the point of stoicism, Capatch says he can “get pretty loud” and likes to have fun during swim meets to help temper the nerves. Penn State Altoona swimming coach Nanette Cummings couldn’t be happier, “even if he doesn’t say more than a few words,” and notes Capatch has been nothing but an asset to the program.

“Adam has made a big difference on our team this year,” states Cummings. “He brings dedication, leadership, and a great attitude to the team in and out of the pool. He is a pleasure to coach on and off the deck. His consistency is amazing, and it’s almost like you know he is going to win before the race even starts.”

With a quiet demeanor and unassuming frame, Capatch has taken the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference by storm in his inaugural season. At 5-9 and 130 pounds soaking wet, Capatch enjoyed a remarkable AMCC Championship meet in mid February, winning three individual conference titles and breaking two Penn State Altoona Adler Pool records.

The freshman won individual championships in the 200 Yard IM, 100 Yard Breaststroke, and 200 Yard Breaststroke, breaking two Penn State Altoona records and qualifying for the Eastern College Athletic Conference meet in the process.

On the meet’s opening day, Capatch swam a 2:00.77 in the 200 Yard IM, breaking the previous Adler Pool record of 2:02.37 set by Kyle Centrella in 2002. The next day brought another individual title in the 100 Yard Breaststroke in which he clocked a 1:02.04 and was just a second away from breaking that Penn State Altoona all-time mark. On the final competition day, Capatch completed the sweep by taking the 200 Yard Breaststroke in 2:13.72, which shattered the prior school record of 2:16.08.

“Looking at the times coming in, I thought there was a chance to do some pretty good things right away,” states a modest Capatch. “I just try to work as hard as I can and do the best I can each race.”

A standout at Lewisburg High School, Capatch was a four-year district qualifier who advanced to the PIAA Double A State Meet twice, taking fifth in the state in the 100 Yard Breaststroke and ninth in the 200 Yard IM. He also made two trips to YMCA Nationals where he placed in the top 20-30 and helped his relay team to a fifth place finish.

As a youngster, Capatch began swimming competitively in sixth grade and joined a team after taking lessons from local swimmer Andy Storm. Capatch credits Storm as a driving force in his overall development, noting that their families became very close friends as a result of swimming.

“Andy got me started in swimming; if I hadn’t taken those lessons, I probably would have never gotten involved in the sport,” states Capatch. “He has always been there for motivation and to help me with anything I need over the years, and I’m very thankful for his support.”

Although he will transfer to University Park after next season to complete his degree, Capatch says he is focused on enjoying the time he has left at Altoona … and on continuing to set records.

ALTOONA, Pa. - Penn State Altoona men's swimmer Adam Capatch (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg) and women's basketball player Tamara Thomas (Altoona, PA/Altoona) were named the Penn State Altoona Athletes of the Week for the week of February 9-15.

Capatch continued his dominance of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference swimming scene this past week at the 2009 AMCC Championships in Grove City. 

On Thursday, Capatch swam a 2:00.77 in the 200 Yard IM, breaking the previous Adler Pool record of 2:02.37 set by Kyle Centrella in 2002.  Friday brought another individual title in the 100 Yard Breaststroke in which he clocked a 1:02.04 and was just a second away from breaking that Penn State Altoona all-time mark.  Finally on Saturday, Capatch completed the sweep by taking the 200 Yard Breaststroke in 2:13.72, which shattered the prior school record of 2:16.08.

Thomas scored double figures in all three of the Lions' wins including a pair of AMCC victories over Frostburg State and Medaille.  Against Frostburg, she had a career-high 27 points, grabbed five rebounds, and went 7-of-7 at the foul line.  She scored 11 in a win over Lancaster Bible February 9 and added 16 points Saturday in the squad's drubbing of Medaille.

The next Penn State Altoona Athletes of the Week will be released on Monday, February 23.

GROVE CITY, Pa. - Penn State Altoona men's swimmer Adam Capatch (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg) broke the school record in the 200 Yard IM after clocking a 2:00.77 Thursday on the opening day of the 2009 Grove City Invitational, which contains the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference and Presidents Athletic Conference Championships.  The Lion men accumulated 49 points and sit in third place, while the Altoona women are in second place with 60 points.

Capatch won the AMCC Individual Championship in the 200 IM with his record-setting performance, which was two seconds better than the previous Adler Pool mark set by Kyle Centrella in 2002.

The championships continue through Saturday.  Check the men's and women's swimming home pages for links to the Grove City Invitational official meet page, where fans can view live results and watch a live video webcast of the championship.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Penn State Altoona swimmer Bryan Dau (Princeton, NJ/Notre Dame) was named Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference men's swimmer of the week, the conference office announced Monday.

Dau took three first place finishes in a January 24 dual meet win over Hood College, two individually. He won the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.34 and the 100 butterfly with a time of 59.45. He was also a member of the winning 200 freestyle relay team with a time of 1:41.31.

Altoona's men's and women's squads are back in action this Saturday, January 31, for a 1:00 PM battle with non-conference foe Juniata College.