Aug. 25, 2005

Head swimming coach Dave Alexander is excited to announce and welcome the incoming class of new additions to the Stony Brook swimming and diving squads. The Seawolves look to build on a successful 2004-2005 campaign where the men's team finished third in the America East Championships and the women's side placed fifth.

Swimming in University pool this year will be Bryce Cullinane, Chris Pai, Omer Ozcan, Rafael Labour, Jon Sigurosson, Jack Schursky, Patrick Dolan, and Hossam and Salah Mohammed.

Alexander is pleased to have Bryce Cullinane and Chris Pai, both transfers on the squad this season.

Cullinane, a transfer from the University of Hawaii, is a distance swimmer. A native of Newport Beach, California, Cullinane swims for NOVAQUATICS, regarded as one of the top USS programs.

Pai, who use to swim for Brandeis Univeristy, specializes in the butterfly and freestyle. Pai looks to have an immediate impact on the squad with his excellent sprinting ability.

Omer Ozcan and Rafael Labour are two recruits that Alexander is very excited to have aboard. Ozcan is a sprint freestyler from Brooklyn, N.Y., and was a finalist in the NY State Championships. Labour, who swims for the Riverbank Redtails, was a Junior National Qualifier in the backstroke. Jon Sigurosson travels from Iceland to join the Seawolves. Sigurosson was a member of the Junior and Senior National teams, and qualified for the World Championships in Montreal 2005. A breaststroke swimmer, he currently holds the 50 m breaststroke record in Iceland.

Also looking to contribute are several other local swimmers. Jack Schursky, a breaststroker out of Rye, N.Y., will join his older brother Frank Schursky on the team. Patrick Dolan, a native of Albany, N.Y., will swim backstroke for Alexander. The Mohammed brothers, Hossam and Salah, look to play a factor in the upcoming season. Hossam, who swims the freestyle, and Salah, an IM swimmer, both swam at Fort Hamilton High in Brooklyn.

Three new divers will be part of the squad this season as Seth Dusharm, Tom O'Hanlon, and Alexander Demin join the team.

Dusharm, from Philadelphia, N.Y., finished eighth in the New York State Championships this year.

O'Hanlon, the Suffolk County Champion, is a native of Lindenhurst, NY. He was a State qualifier and finished sixth in the Eastern Invitational. Demin, who hails from Staten Island, N.Y., placed third at the Public School Championships (PSAL) last year.

Alexander is pleased with this years incomers, feeling that they many will make an immediate impact on the squad's drive to claim the America East crown this season.