College athletics are crucial in shaping school spirit, student engagement, and institutional reputation. William Paterson University’s basketball, swimming, and diving programs have long been a source of pride and competition. But how do these teams truly measure up?

Both of these programs have shown success this season at the men’s and women’s levels. Projected off preseason expectations, there were some very high moments and then lows that were shown to be catastrophes. 

As a student who has appeared on both segments breaking down these teams on “WP Sports Desk,” I’ve watched film on these teams all season and have seen in-depth measurables that I can evaluate based on their performance, coaching, facilities, and overall impact on campus life. Using a grading scale from A to F, I’ll assess their strengths, weaknesses, and what the future might hold. Do these programs rise to the challenge, or is there room for improvement? Let’s start by diving into the pool.

Women’s Swimming and Diving 

This season was a whirlwind of emotions for the Women’s Swimming and Diving team. Finishing tenth place out of ten teams in the NJAC Championship is not something to be proud of. What promotes a ton of optimism going into next season is finishing with 11 wins. They took down a Mount Saint Mary’s College program whose only loss was against them, undoubtedly their best win of the season. Their concern thus far is scheduling a lack of competition. They played few NJAC teams, let alone teams based in New Jersey, and in those matchups, the Pioneers lost by a lot. The Pioneers do lose Samantha Pricken to graduation, a NJAC swimmer of the week and the 12th place finisher in the 50 Backstroke. Other than that, the Pioneers return every other swimmer. There’s a ton of potential down at Wightman Pool, and it starts with Katie Antonoff, who finished 39th in the 1000 freestyle, and Olivia Morrison who won NJAC diver of the week for both the weeks of Nov.11 and Jan 21. Pairing that up with Sarah Churchill, Skylar Coleman, and Frances Gomes, it’s a recipe for success for the future of the Pioneers Women’s Swimming and Diving team. They may not have shined bright on the biggest stage all season, as their youth and inexperience showed, but if this team can gel together through the next couple of years, this can be a top-tier program in the NJAC. 

Final Grade: (B-)

Men’s Swimming and Diving

The season came and went for the Men’s Swimming team as they had a similar result to the Women’s team, finishing last place in the NJAC championships. That may have to be some adversity as they finished winning nearly 86% of their matches during the regular season, only losing to Baruch College and Ramapo, an NJAC opponent—the theme with both of these swimming squads in their inability to take down their conference opponents. In their non-conference slate, The men’s team defeated Maritime College and Brooklyn College, whose records were beyond .500. They have the technique to take down good programs, but when it comes to the biggest matchups on their schedule, they’ve folded. Coach Ed Gurka has been the head coach for both teams for forty-nine seasons and has over eight hundred wins as the coach of these teams. Can he elevate both programs to beat more NJAC opponents in year fifty? The Pioneers will lose Ricardo Ordinola, Jason Peralta, and Shane Apito, who have all finished first place in their careers in numerous medleys, relays, and freestyles. The two most accomplished 

leading returners are Sophomore Justin Melli, who finished 43rd in the NJAC in the 1000 freestyle, and freshman Mario Pontidis, who placed 44th in the 50 backstroke. Many first- and second-year students return as a freshman-dominated roster that includes Derek Gutowski, the Feb.3 NJAC rookie of the week, and Isamel Lamar, a consistent contributor in the medleys, will be back. That doesn’t even mention Owen Kane, who’s showing significant improvements since his freshman campaign, and Garrett D’Elia, a first-year swimmer for the Pioneers who has contributed to the victory. This squad is still very young but can be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

Final Grade: (B)

Men’s Basketball

Projected to finish last in the NJAC for the 2024-2025 season, the Pioneers showed a ton of promise early on, winning three out of their first five. After that, the season did not go as well as hoped. They met their preseason projection by only winning two games in the NJAC. There was some optimism towards the end of the year with plenty of close margins against Rowan, Rutgers-Newark, Rutgers-Camden, and even a surprising win against NJCU, which kept them out of the NJAC playoffs. This team was senior-heavy, and now that it’s the end, the “Big Three” of Neftali Valentin, David Martinez, and Andre Wells will no longer be wearing the Pioneer orange and black. These three played their hearts out this season, averaging over fourteen points per game, but nobody else rose to the occasion to help in the scoring area. The Pioneer’s top five scorers per game were all seniors. Jianni Moran, Delani Hyde, and Josiah Carey will all return next season, presenting a ton of veteran leadership; they all have played meaningful basketball for the Pioneers this season. Christian Gilmore is another player projected to return next season and played more toward the back end but was productive. Jack Gobel only played in ten games; the redshirt freshman was projected to take a big jump after his injury; when he was on the court, he was a game changer. A strong core returns for the Pioneers next season, but there have been many questions about Coach Brian Chapman’s structure and whether he has the best players on the court simultaneously. It’s a young team, but if the returners can work with one another, a new era of basketball can formulate in Wayne. 

Final Grade: (D+)

Women’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball was expected to finish middle of the pack in the NJAC this season but blew past expectations immediately at the beginning of conference play. With early non-conference wins against Ursinus, Saint Elizabeth, and West Conn. State, the Pioneers looked to be very competitive. The Pioneers started with an early loss in conference play against TCNJ but went on an eight-game winning streak before running into the Lions again. The season felt up and down as the Pioneers dropped a few games before firing off five straight against the weaker half of the NJAC. Come tournament time, the team was banged up and a little rusty, which is evident in their one-point win against NJCU. When it was time to play Montclair State, their energy was high initially, but things took a turn for the worse, and the Pioneers couldn’t keep the momentum rolling. A stable for William Paterson, Brianna Smith’s career ended with surpassing over 1,500+ points. In addition to Smith, the Pioneers will say goodbye to two of the best perimeter guards in the conference, Jade Martinez and Victoria Palladino, who are both expected to graduate. The future is bright at the Rec Center for the Pioneers; Patty Walsh and Renee Wells both return as they expected to take very big leaps as Seniors. Jada Jacobs emerged in the postseason, proving she’s a hardcore defender and tenacious rebounder. In addition, Mattison Chiera, who was banged up for most of the season, will be healthy, and key Freshmen such as Leilani Pinder and Kasey Slade are expected to be in the rotation more. The team’s lack of size and physicality bit them at the end of the season. William Paterson started the season powerful but couldn’t finish. The future is beaming, but it depends significantly on Coach Monahan and her assistants to give the Pioneers the correct opportunities to succeed.

Final Grade: (B+)