2006-07 WVU Men’s Swimming & Diving Team to Be Honored
September 05, 2017 10:50 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
It was the kind of season that teams dream about. The type of year that deserves to be remembered – and now honored.
The 2006-07 West Virginia University men's swimming and diving team rewrote the school record books, winning the program's first-ever Big East Championship and raising the bar for future teams for years to come.
Because of those accomplishments, the Mountaineers will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their remarkable run on Saturday in a special on-field recognition during WVU's football game against East Carolina.
Certainly, the current West Virginia swimming and diving team is excited to welcome the group back home.
"Each program has those teams that reach the highest level of achievement a team can earn by going undefeated and winning a conference championship in a given season and the 2007 men's team did just that," current WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "I know it was a very special year for them and I'm excited to have them back on campus to celebrate this outstanding accomplishment."
Led by coach Sergio Lopez, WVU wasted no time turning the 2006-07 campaign into a year of firsts. The Mountaineers topped Penn State for the first time in school history in October, which became the first of several big wins throughout the year.
The Mountaineers also defeated rival Pitt for the first time in 17 years after junior Pablo Marmolejo and the 400 freestyle relay team did their part to break a late-meet tie with the Panthers. Marmolejo won the 200 individual medley, while the relay team clinched the victory moments later.
The momentum of such an emotion win led WVU to cashing in a terrific display at Notre Dame's Shamrock Invitational, where the Mountaineers claimed victories over Penn State, Oakland, Connecticut and the two-time defending Big East champion Fighting Irish.
In all, the WVU men finished 13-0 on the year and 6-0 in the Big East to claim their first undefeated season in program history and earn the team's first-ever national ranking. The noteworthy performance in South Bend was the perfect way to end a highly productive regular season and head into the postseason in style.
At the Big East Championships in Long Island, New York, the success continued. The men's and women's teams combined to break seven conference records and 20 school records.
It wasn't until after the 400 freestyle relay, though, that the celebration could truly begin.
The Mountaineers' team of freshman Zoltan Povazsay, sophomores Tony Cisneros and Andrew Langenfeld and junior Nick Delic banded together to grab the event win to propel WVU into first place for good. At the time, the triumph was just the third Big East title in any sport in the University's history.
Povazsay was named the Big East Swimmer of the Year, while Lopez won the conference's Coach of the Year.
From there, West Virginia closed out one of the most successful seasons in program history at the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four Mountaineers – Ivan Tolic, Povazsay, Langenfeld and Delic – were named All-Americans at the meet.
WVU, which sent a school-record eight men to the national meet, was awarded seven honorable mention All-Americans as well. The Mountaineers went on to finish 20th overall at the national championship meet to cap their incredible run.
To welcome the 2006-07 Big East champions back to Morgantown, get your seats for Saturday's WVU football game against East Carolina at noon.
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME.
The 2006-07 West Virginia University men's swimming and diving team rewrote the school record books, winning the program's first-ever Big East Championship and raising the bar for future teams for years to come.
Because of those accomplishments, the Mountaineers will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their remarkable run on Saturday in a special on-field recognition during WVU's football game against East Carolina.
Certainly, the current West Virginia swimming and diving team is excited to welcome the group back home.
"Each program has those teams that reach the highest level of achievement a team can earn by going undefeated and winning a conference championship in a given season and the 2007 men's team did just that," current WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "I know it was a very special year for them and I'm excited to have them back on campus to celebrate this outstanding accomplishment."
Led by coach Sergio Lopez, WVU wasted no time turning the 2006-07 campaign into a year of firsts. The Mountaineers topped Penn State for the first time in school history in October, which became the first of several big wins throughout the year.
The Mountaineers also defeated rival Pitt for the first time in 17 years after junior Pablo Marmolejo and the 400 freestyle relay team did their part to break a late-meet tie with the Panthers. Marmolejo won the 200 individual medley, while the relay team clinched the victory moments later.
The momentum of such an emotion win led WVU to cashing in a terrific display at Notre Dame's Shamrock Invitational, where the Mountaineers claimed victories over Penn State, Oakland, Connecticut and the two-time defending Big East champion Fighting Irish.
In all, the WVU men finished 13-0 on the year and 6-0 in the Big East to claim their first undefeated season in program history and earn the team's first-ever national ranking. The noteworthy performance in South Bend was the perfect way to end a highly productive regular season and head into the postseason in style.
At the Big East Championships in Long Island, New York, the success continued. The men's and women's teams combined to break seven conference records and 20 school records.
It wasn't until after the 400 freestyle relay, though, that the celebration could truly begin.
The Mountaineers' team of freshman Zoltan Povazsay, sophomores Tony Cisneros and Andrew Langenfeld and junior Nick Delic banded together to grab the event win to propel WVU into first place for good. At the time, the triumph was just the third Big East title in any sport in the University's history.
Povazsay was named the Big East Swimmer of the Year, while Lopez won the conference's Coach of the Year.
From there, West Virginia closed out one of the most successful seasons in program history at the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four Mountaineers – Ivan Tolic, Povazsay, Langenfeld and Delic – were named All-Americans at the meet.
WVU, which sent a school-record eight men to the national meet, was awarded seven honorable mention All-Americans as well. The Mountaineers went on to finish 20th overall at the national championship meet to cap their incredible run.
To welcome the 2006-07 Big East champions back to Morgantown, get your seats for Saturday's WVU football game against East Carolina at noon.
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME.
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