Season Preview: Cowboys Have Bought into Their Roles for Team Success
LARAMIE, Wyo. (9/12/24) – University of Wyoming swimming and diving head coach Dave Denniston is excited for the maturity, mentality and energy that the Cowboys are looking to bring this season.
“I think what we’re seeing is a lot of maturity on our men’s team and a lot of excitement, so that’s a good foundation for us to be successful,” Denniston said.
Denniston is pleased with the way everyone has bought into the team culture and their excitement for being a part of the squad.
“The big thing is everybody understanding that they have a role, they have a place, they have a purpose on this team. They aren’t just here to be here,” Denniston said. “They understand and they’ve defined those roles for each person amongst the team. That’s again from leadership of Jack O’Neil, our Paralympian, Gavin Smith and the rest of the senior class saying, ‘hey no matter what you do, how fast you are, you can help our team.’ That’s one of those things that I think the freshmen have bought into and really looked forward to building on in terms of just being able to support each other and showcase their strengths.”
Last season the Cowboys finished fourth at the Western Athletic Conference Championships, and they also set career-bests and a new school record in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Denniston is expecting big things out of All-WAC returners Quinn Teller and Caleb Ozenne in the pool this season.
“Quinn Teller seems to be on another level, he’s swimming fast when he needs to and I think this is going to be an amazing senior year for him,” Denniston said. “Caleb Ozenne is somebody who can kind of swim everything for us, and I know he’s looking forward to swimming a little bit more of the shorter events instead of the distance events, but he’s going to be reliable for a lot of our bigger competitions.”
The Cowboys will also be returning All-WAC honorees in Adam Pannell, Matthew Lang, Gavin Smith, Derek Long and Andrew Ravegum.
Denniston is looking forward to seeing what his sprinter-focused freshman class will accomplish this season as well.
“We’ve got a lot of sprinters in this freshman class,” Denniston said. “That was one of the things going into this season that we needed to elevate as a program. We’ve brought in some sprinting coaches with Jonathan Reeder and Sydney Buckley is back. Even a guy who was on the team last year, Preston Harrison is wanting to get into coaching. So, they’re all really sprint focused and we’ve got about four or five guys that are in that class that are ready just to get up and go fast.”
With a blend of fast, excited newcomers and dependable, high-performing returners leading the charge, the Cowboys will be striving to compete at the top of the WAC this season.
“Overall, I’m just excited to see this team come together and race for each other and I know that’s going to be the energy behind it,” Denniston said.
The Cowboys open their slate for the 2024-25 season Friday. Both the men’s and women’s teams host the annual Brown and Gold Meet on Friday at 5 p.m. at Corbett Pool, ahead of the Brown, Gold and Old Meet on Saturday at 9 a.m.
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Sariah Orocu
Social Media & Communications Coordinator
University of Wyoming Athletics