Jonusaitis and the Orange Take on Villanova in the Final Home Swim Meet of the 2002-03 Season
2/7/2003 11:50:37 AM | Swimming / Diving
Syracuse hosts Villanova in its final home swim meet of the season this Saturday, Feb. 8. Diving begins at 9 a.m. at Ted Webster Pool, while swimming starts at 12 p.m.
This is the first time since the 1992-93 season that Syracuse and Villanova will compete in a dual meet. The series on the men's side is tied at 6-6, while the Wildcats own a 2-1 lead in the series with the Orangewomen.
Next week, a select group of swimmers will travel to Rutgers to try and qualify for the BIG EAST Championship. All but seven Syracuse swimmers have already qualified for the BIG EAST meet. SU will send all three of its men's divers to the championships and one female diver.
Senior Salute: Jennifer Jonusaitis
As the only senior on the swimming and diving team this year, Jennifer Jonusaitis has proven to be an accomplished leader both academically and athletically. Two years ago, she received the Pat and Bob Barlow Award for academic and athletic excellence. She was named a BIG EAST Academic All-Star twice and has earned a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll every semester at Syracuse. Jonusaitis will graduate this May with a degree in biology. Earlier in the season, Jonusaitis set a Webster Pool record in the 100 breaststroke while competing against Colgate. Her time of 1:06.80 broke the previous record of 1:07.06, set nearly 10 years ago by SU's Katie Dolan.
The season winds down as Syracuse swimmers and divers host the final 2002-03 regular season meet at Webster Pool. Reflecting on her time spent at Syracuse University, Jonusaitis has many team-oriented memories, such as meets where the Orange cheered each other on and training trips where she bonded with teammates. Jonusaitis has been swimming since age 10 and credits her mother for influencing her the most.
"Whenever I need something, I can always rely on her. She always supports me through everything and helps keep me going. I wouldn't be where I am without her."
As a senior and co-captain, Jonusaitis has been looked to for veteran leadership, however, she feels she shares that responsibility with several others on the team. She considers setting a Webster Pool record in the 100 breaststroke last October to be her greatest achievement as an Orangewoman.
"It was unexpected, and I didn't know what the record was before. It was a good motivator at the beginning of the year."
Jonusaitis urges swimmers to think positively.
"Your attitude about everything is really important. This year I tried to be more positive about everything, even when things got rough. It really helped."
Although Jonusaitis does not plan on continuing to swim competitively after graduation, she will miss swimming at Syracuse.
"I'm ready to move on, but swimming has been a part of my life for 12 years now, so it's going to be a weird adjustment."
Following graduation, Jonusaitis plans on attending dentistry school in Canada.
As Jonusaitis completes her Syracuse University swimming career, she expressed her gratitude to her teammates and coaches.
"Swimming is an individual sport, but we are together all the time. It's much easier to go through practice and everything else together, rather than alone. The team and my coaches have helped me through."
Jonusaitis will compete in the 2003 BIG EAST Championships at the Nassau County Aquatics Center in Uniondale, N.Y. on February 20-22.
