Dec. 18, 2003
Poughkeepsie, NY - Marist College Director of Swimming Larry VanWagner announced the signing of three National Letters of Intent to swim for the Red Foxes beginning in the fall of 2004. Jamie Falco (North Haven, CT) and Whitney Butler (Allentown, PA) will join the women's team, while Gregory Jablonski (Massepequa, NY) will join the men's class of 2008.
"We are very happy to have had these three student-athletes sign their NLI's during the early signing period," said VanWagner. "They all bring solid scholastic careers with them and I look forward to having them in the program over the next four seasons."
Falco, who currently attends North Haven High School earned High School All-America Consideration last season in the 100-yard backstroke. She finished eighth in that event at the 2003 Connecticut State Open. The holder of five school records, Falco was the team MVP each of her four scholastic seasons, as she earned All-Southern Conference Team honors and All-State accolades each season as well. She is an honor roll student, as well as a Connecticut Aptitude Test Scholar, and served as the Vice President of the National Spanish Honor Society as a junior.
Butler, a senior at Liberty High School, joins the Red Foxes as a breaststroker. She earned Liberty High School MVP honors her sophomore and junior seasons and is a USA Swimming Sectional Qualifier in the 100-yard breaststroke. A dual sport athlete, Butler also lettered in cross-country and track and field each of her four high school academic years. She is a member of the National Honor Society and has been on the Honor Roll every year of high school, with a GPA in the top three percent of her class.
Jablonski is a senior at Holy Trinity High School, where he has been the team's MVP each of his first three high school seasons. He finished third overall in the 15-18 boys division at the 2003 USA Swimming Zone Championships, and was second in the men's division at the 2003 Metropolitan Swimming Championships. Jablonski has also earned Honor Roll accolades in each of his four years as a high school student.
Marist College is in its seventh season as a full member of the NCAA Division I, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The swimming and diving programs are in their ninth season of competition within the MAAC and have established a legacy of dominance. The men's team is 51-0 against MAAC opponents in dual meets in that time and has won each of the eight MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships in which it has competed. The women's team has had great success also, winning MAAC Titles in five of the last eight seasons.
