April 9, 2008

New Haven, CT - Alex Righi, a junior political science major from Phoenix, AZ was named the captain of the Yale men's swimming and diving team for the 2008-09 season. The announcement came during the team's annual awards dinner Tuesday April 8.

Righi will take over for outgoing captain Colin Stalnecker, who led the Bulldogs to a third-place finish at this year's EISL Championships.

Righi has been a superstar for the Bulldogs during the last three seasons in freestyle and backstroke events. Righi took second place in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships this year and currently holds the Yale record for both events.

"I am incredibly excited to have been given this opportunity, and it is my foremost goal to be a good captain for my team. It is a tremendous responsibility, but at the same time a great honor and privilege," Righi said. "Specifically, my goals as a captain are numerous, but the most important ones are to cultivate an atmosphere of team unity, hard work and competitiveness, which I think will translate into better swimming results. We lost to Navy last year, and I think that we can beat them this year. Harvard and Princeton will be tough meets, as always, but I think that with some determination and skill, we have a chance. I would also like to finish at least 3rd at EISLs again. I sincerely hope that the team will continue to act like a family, as they always have."

Report Filed by Steven Horn '10, Yale Sports Publicity