University of Massachusets Athletics
Men’s Swimming And Diving Announces 2018 Class
June 01, 2018 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Seven swimmers and two divers will join the Minutemen for the 2018-19 season.
AMHERST, Mass. – Russ Yarworth and the University of Massachusetts men's swimming and diving program announced the addition of nine athletes for the 2018-19 season. Yarworth and the Minutemen will welcome in seven swimmers and two divers onto a team that returns 22 athletes from a season ago in which UMass finished fourth at the Atlantic 10 Championships.
Colin Baker (Sudbury, Mass.) joins the program with personal bests with times of 22.20 in the 50 Free and 48.83 in the 100 Free. Baker finished third in the 100 Free at the 2018 Massachusetts North Sectional High School Championships and added a sixth-place finish in the 50 Free. The newcomer plans to major in Building and Construction Technology at UMass, where he joins his sister Ansley, who is the school record holder in the 50 Free, 100 Free and 100 Breaststroke for the women's team.
Jacques Boffa (Sliema, Malta) will join UMass as a freestyle specialist after spending his time as a member of the Neptunes Club in Malta. Boffa put together a pair of top-10 performances at the 2017 Guess Easter International Meet, finishing sixth in the long course 200 Free and seventh in the 100 Free. The freestyler is the younger brother of Jonathan Boffa, who was a 2016 European silver medalist and a 10-time All-American at NC State.
Jordi Boulerice (Waban, Mass.) is the first of two divers to join Joshua Arndt's crew after competing for Newton South High School. Boulerice finished third at the Massachusetts HS Championships and added a first-place finish in the 3-Meter Dive and a second-place finish in the 1-Meter Dive at the 2017 ZAP Diving March Madness Invitational.
Heath Brames (Cooper City, Fla.) was a Florida District 4A Champion in both the 100 and 200 Free for Cooper City High School and was named the Cooper City HS Swimmer of the Year in both 2017 and 2018. Brames owns career-best times of 21.81 in the 50 Free, 47.23 in the 100 Free and 1:43.09 in the 200 Free and plans to major in engineering at UMass.
Casey Chung (Longmeadow, Mass.) is the second of two divers to join the Minutemen in 2018 after competing for Longmeadow in high school. Chung finished sixth at the Western/Central Massachusetts HS Sectional Championships and added a pair of top-10 finishes at the MIAA Division II State Championships in both 2018 and 2017.
Owen Churchwell (Athens, Ga.) heads to Amherst after posting multiple school records at Clarke Central High School. A team captain at Clarke Central, Churchwell competed in both Freestyle and Breaststroke events, recording personal best times of 21.32 in the 50 Free, 46.61 in the 100 Free and 56.74 in the 100 Breast. Churchwell plans to major in Sport Management at UMass.
Dias Konysbayev (Makati, Phillippines), an IM/Backstroke swimmer from the Phillippines, was a captain of the varsity swimming team at the International School Manila. Konysbayev competited at the Singapore Nationals in club swimming competition and holds short course times of 2:06.09 in the 200 IM and 2:07.18 in the 200 Back. Konysbayev holds the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools record in the 200 Backstroke.
Cody Lenart (Midlothian, Va.) comes to UMass after spending his freshman season at the University of Pittsburgh. The Butterfly and Backstroke specialist posted three season bests at the Ohio State Winter Invitational with times of 51.35 in the 100 Back, 1:51.29 in the 200 Back with a time of 1:51.89 in the 200 Fly. Lenart plans to major in Biochemistry at UMass during the fall.
Sanjay Sekar (Millis, Mass.) heads to UMass as a Backstroke specialist, posting times of 52.64 in the 100 and 1:54.28 in the 200. Sekar swam for Chuck Batchelor with the Bluefish Swim Club and posted a top-20 finish in the 200 Backstroke on the long course at the Speedo Sectionals in Buffalo, N.Y. Sekar plans to major in Engineering at UMass.
For continued coverage of UMass swimming and diving, visit Twitter @UMassMSwimDive.
Colin Baker (Sudbury, Mass.) joins the program with personal bests with times of 22.20 in the 50 Free and 48.83 in the 100 Free. Baker finished third in the 100 Free at the 2018 Massachusetts North Sectional High School Championships and added a sixth-place finish in the 50 Free. The newcomer plans to major in Building and Construction Technology at UMass, where he joins his sister Ansley, who is the school record holder in the 50 Free, 100 Free and 100 Breaststroke for the women's team.
Jacques Boffa (Sliema, Malta) will join UMass as a freestyle specialist after spending his time as a member of the Neptunes Club in Malta. Boffa put together a pair of top-10 performances at the 2017 Guess Easter International Meet, finishing sixth in the long course 200 Free and seventh in the 100 Free. The freestyler is the younger brother of Jonathan Boffa, who was a 2016 European silver medalist and a 10-time All-American at NC State.
Jordi Boulerice (Waban, Mass.) is the first of two divers to join Joshua Arndt's crew after competing for Newton South High School. Boulerice finished third at the Massachusetts HS Championships and added a first-place finish in the 3-Meter Dive and a second-place finish in the 1-Meter Dive at the 2017 ZAP Diving March Madness Invitational.
Heath Brames (Cooper City, Fla.) was a Florida District 4A Champion in both the 100 and 200 Free for Cooper City High School and was named the Cooper City HS Swimmer of the Year in both 2017 and 2018. Brames owns career-best times of 21.81 in the 50 Free, 47.23 in the 100 Free and 1:43.09 in the 200 Free and plans to major in engineering at UMass.
Casey Chung (Longmeadow, Mass.) is the second of two divers to join the Minutemen in 2018 after competing for Longmeadow in high school. Chung finished sixth at the Western/Central Massachusetts HS Sectional Championships and added a pair of top-10 finishes at the MIAA Division II State Championships in both 2018 and 2017.
Owen Churchwell (Athens, Ga.) heads to Amherst after posting multiple school records at Clarke Central High School. A team captain at Clarke Central, Churchwell competed in both Freestyle and Breaststroke events, recording personal best times of 21.32 in the 50 Free, 46.61 in the 100 Free and 56.74 in the 100 Breast. Churchwell plans to major in Sport Management at UMass.
Dias Konysbayev (Makati, Phillippines), an IM/Backstroke swimmer from the Phillippines, was a captain of the varsity swimming team at the International School Manila. Konysbayev competited at the Singapore Nationals in club swimming competition and holds short course times of 2:06.09 in the 200 IM and 2:07.18 in the 200 Back. Konysbayev holds the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools record in the 200 Backstroke.
Cody Lenart (Midlothian, Va.) comes to UMass after spending his freshman season at the University of Pittsburgh. The Butterfly and Backstroke specialist posted three season bests at the Ohio State Winter Invitational with times of 51.35 in the 100 Back, 1:51.29 in the 200 Back with a time of 1:51.89 in the 200 Fly. Lenart plans to major in Biochemistry at UMass during the fall.
Sanjay Sekar (Millis, Mass.) heads to UMass as a Backstroke specialist, posting times of 52.64 in the 100 and 1:54.28 in the 200. Sekar swam for Chuck Batchelor with the Bluefish Swim Club and posted a top-20 finish in the 200 Backstroke on the long course at the Speedo Sectionals in Buffalo, N.Y. Sekar plans to major in Engineering at UMass.
For continued coverage of UMass swimming and diving, visit Twitter @UMassMSwimDive.
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