Past, Present and Future Celebrated at Final Natatorium Meet
January 15, 2019 10:24 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – As they gathered around the pool, joining arms and belting out a familiar tune, time seemed to stand still.
And once it was over, no one seemed to want to leave. That's because memories spanning nearly 50 years of the WVU Natatorium flooded the thoughts of more than 150 alumni in Morgantown to honor it's closing.
What a special, nostalgic weekend it was for the West Virginia University swimming and diving program. While the current team celebrated Senior Day and a pair of dual-meet wins over TCU, many others were present for other reasons. Some wanted a proper goodbye to a building that helped mold them. Others saw a chance to see old friends, teammates and relive the glory days on campus.
Whatever the reasons, last weekend's festivities validated an already well-known fact: The support for the Mountaineer swimming and diving program is alive and well.
"The team is like your family, so it's like coming back to see your long-lost family," 1994 graduate Carla DeCostanzo said. "That's why it was so important to come back this time. It's been almost 25 years."
The WVU Natatorium has been home to the Mountaineers since 1975. Through the years, student-athletes spent countless hours between the lanes or on the springboard. And while times got tough for one reason or another for some, looking back, it's a place that holds some of the most cherished memories of overall college experience.
Like anywhere else on campus, friendships were made on the pool deck and common bonds were forever linked, so much so that, for some, selecting one moment that defined it all is simply impossible.
"There's no one moment; it was just all about the camaraderie," 1978 graduate and former diving coach Jack Ramsay said. "We had some great divers, and we didn't lose very much. We worked hard, we worked a lot, but we all worked together."
Still, there were some defining moments. For Jack Greenhalgh (2012), it was when the Mountaineers found a way to eek out a win over Penn State, which was ranked in the top 15 in the country at the time.
As for Miles Molinaro, who swam at WVU from 2011-15, it's all about that first time. He says getting that first taste of competition at the next level is something he'll always cherish.
"My favorite memory was when I came out of the locker room for the first home meet," Molinaro said. "To see my parents up there and to do the team cheer, it helped me realize that I had become a Division I swimmer and a Mountaineer. It was a pretty awesome feeling."
The impact the Natatorium even can transcend athletics. One example of that is with Denton and Jenn Quick. Now married, the two former WVU swimmers first met at the pool.
However, it wasn't exactly a Cinderella story from the start.
"In the beginning, we hated each other," Jenn joked. "But we ended up teaching swimming lessons together, and, from there, the rest was history. Twenty-five years later, here we are."
Denton, who admits that he mainly focused on swimming when he was on deck back in those days, also was happy to share the special weekend with his wife at the familiar venue.
"We had some great memories," he said. "Because of Coach (Kevin) Gilson, seeing the place where I met my wife and where we spent many, endless hours at the pool, that's why we all came back."
The Mountaineers are set to move into their state-of-the-art facility, the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park, next season. The 90,000-square-foot facility will feature an eight-lane, 50-meter pool with seats for more than 1,200 spectators.
The new pool also will be equipped with an Olympic diving tower and diving well.
Certainly, the future of the program at its new home is bright, but the team's past, filled with many successful former student-athletes, deserves to be celebrated, too. That's why the Mountaineers opened the doors to all interested alumni for the squad's Big 12 Conference dual meet against TCU.
The turnout was better than imagined, and all the familiar faces back in town created an extra sense of excitement at the Nat. The Mountaineers combined to win 31 of 32 events to down the Horned Frogs, adding to the weekend-long party.
Being a Mountaineer is special, and it's something that reaches the heart and soul. That much was on display in Morgantown last weekend, where the Natatorium was sent off in style.
"Nothing has changed," 1994 graduate Renee (Riccio) McCutchan said. "You can still see that same love and closeness that everyone has together. It's just a blessing to have everyone here."
And a blessing to have such great support for the program.
And once it was over, no one seemed to want to leave. That's because memories spanning nearly 50 years of the WVU Natatorium flooded the thoughts of more than 150 alumni in Morgantown to honor it's closing.
What a special, nostalgic weekend it was for the West Virginia University swimming and diving program. While the current team celebrated Senior Day and a pair of dual-meet wins over TCU, many others were present for other reasons. Some wanted a proper goodbye to a building that helped mold them. Others saw a chance to see old friends, teammates and relive the glory days on campus.
Whatever the reasons, last weekend's festivities validated an already well-known fact: The support for the Mountaineer swimming and diving program is alive and well.
"The team is like your family, so it's like coming back to see your long-lost family," 1994 graduate Carla DeCostanzo said. "That's why it was so important to come back this time. It's been almost 25 years."
The WVU Natatorium has been home to the Mountaineers since 1975. Through the years, student-athletes spent countless hours between the lanes or on the springboard. And while times got tough for one reason or another for some, looking back, it's a place that holds some of the most cherished memories of overall college experience.
Like anywhere else on campus, friendships were made on the pool deck and common bonds were forever linked, so much so that, for some, selecting one moment that defined it all is simply impossible.
"There's no one moment; it was just all about the camaraderie," 1978 graduate and former diving coach Jack Ramsay said. "We had some great divers, and we didn't lose very much. We worked hard, we worked a lot, but we all worked together."
Still, there were some defining moments. For Jack Greenhalgh (2012), it was when the Mountaineers found a way to eek out a win over Penn State, which was ranked in the top 15 in the country at the time.
As for Miles Molinaro, who swam at WVU from 2011-15, it's all about that first time. He says getting that first taste of competition at the next level is something he'll always cherish.
"My favorite memory was when I came out of the locker room for the first home meet," Molinaro said. "To see my parents up there and to do the team cheer, it helped me realize that I had become a Division I swimmer and a Mountaineer. It was a pretty awesome feeling."
The impact the Natatorium even can transcend athletics. One example of that is with Denton and Jenn Quick. Now married, the two former WVU swimmers first met at the pool.
However, it wasn't exactly a Cinderella story from the start.
"In the beginning, we hated each other," Jenn joked. "But we ended up teaching swimming lessons together, and, from there, the rest was history. Twenty-five years later, here we are."
Denton, who admits that he mainly focused on swimming when he was on deck back in those days, also was happy to share the special weekend with his wife at the familiar venue.
"We had some great memories," he said. "Because of Coach (Kevin) Gilson, seeing the place where I met my wife and where we spent many, endless hours at the pool, that's why we all came back."
The Mountaineers are set to move into their state-of-the-art facility, the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park, next season. The 90,000-square-foot facility will feature an eight-lane, 50-meter pool with seats for more than 1,200 spectators.
The new pool also will be equipped with an Olympic diving tower and diving well.
Certainly, the future of the program at its new home is bright, but the team's past, filled with many successful former student-athletes, deserves to be celebrated, too. That's why the Mountaineers opened the doors to all interested alumni for the squad's Big 12 Conference dual meet against TCU.
The turnout was better than imagined, and all the familiar faces back in town created an extra sense of excitement at the Nat. The Mountaineers combined to win 31 of 32 events to down the Horned Frogs, adding to the weekend-long party.
Being a Mountaineer is special, and it's something that reaches the heart and soul. That much was on display in Morgantown last weekend, where the Natatorium was sent off in style.
"Nothing has changed," 1994 graduate Renee (Riccio) McCutchan said. "You can still see that same love and closeness that everyone has together. It's just a blessing to have everyone here."
And a blessing to have such great support for the program.
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SWIM: What it Means to Become a Mountaineer
Wednesday, April 29
SWIM: Paper Airplane Competition
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SWIM: Villanova/Duquesne Recap
Monday, January 26
