SUNY Cortland swimmer Kellen Dickman (Jr., ’26) is coming off of a record-breaking season with the Red Dragons. In a new conference, he is aiming to improve and break more records.
At last season’s championship meet in February, Dickman broke the school record in the 100-yard butterfly (50.13 in prelims, 50.00 in finals) that had stood since 2010. He placed 2nd in that event, as well as placing 6th in the 200-yard individual medley (1:56.91) and 4th in the 200-yard butterfly (1:56.49). He also received medals swimming on medley relays.
“In prelims (of the 100-yard butterfly) I was excited to race, and getting the record in the morning only made me more excited for the finals race later that night,” said Dickman. “I wanted to win, and going a best time was nice, but getting second place by 0.09 seconds was tough.”
The Red Dragons will face a new wave of competition in February, with the announcement of the SUNYAC-AMCC joint-conference meet. Dickman added, “It’s a blessing and a curse with the absence of Geneseo. They always push us hard in the season with their results, and now we have to push ourselves. But some fierce new competitors will push us to be our best.”
“The training that we have been doing has been good. The freshmen have been adapting well, and returners are doing great. We will be fully prepared soon, that I truly believe. Full-time practices are only going to enhance our technique that much more. We’re all excited to be back and I think that is showing by our times in practice.”
Dickman, only a junior, also has his sights set on the school records for the 200-yard butterfly (1:54.44, Hasbrouck 2013) and 200-yard individual medley (1:54.29, Crossman 1998). He is currently less than two seconds away from both.
“It’s not just me. There are plenty of school records on watch this season. Many could fall. Possibly some relays too, which would be huge for us because they’re so fast,” said Dickman.
“I want an NCAA cut in the 100-yard butterfly. I think a lot of NCAA cuts are inbound for our team, however. The potential and timing is right, and it is right now. I think if we do it right, we can accomplish a lot.”
The men and the women both placed second in overall team scores last season at the championship meet. This year, they are aiming to reclaim the conference title, which has not been won by either team since 2013.
The first dual meet of the season will be on October 26th, when the Red Dragons will swim against the University of Rochester. The SUNYAC-AMCC championship meet is scheduled for February 19th-22nd. Keep an eye out for the results, this may very well be a special season for the swim team.