The Iona swimming and diving team has reached the home stretch of their season.  While most students were at home or on vacation during the last week of the winter break, our Gaels were representing Iona on a seven-day training trip in Puerto Rico.  Not only did the team practice two times a day with tough sets and intervals, but they competed in a swim meet against Loyola and Butler that was held at the University of Sacred Heart. Only about a week after, the swimming squad got back to New Rochelle. The team competed with Fordham on Jan. 20 for senior day, where Raymond Joyal, Cameron Hudson, Joshua Eller, Jamie Manser, Mackenzie Mone  and Caitlin McGregor swam at their last home meet.   The Gaels fell to Fordham, but not without a fight. Exceptional swims were performed by Hudson, junior Chris Yaccobacci, sophomore Tyler Elfert, sophomore  Justin Grigull, sophomore Chris Giovine, and on the women’s side sophomore Brigitte Doughty, junior Theresa Harvey, freshman Olivia Kroll, junior Kara Nowakowski, junior Victoria Ponzo, sophomore Maria Skievys, Manser and Mone. With the MAAC championships less than a month away, the swimmers and divers will continue to train hard and contend with other teams in preparation for the big competition.  Grigull believes if the team continues to keep up the work and stay focused, the Gaels will do well. “We are in the last few hard weeks of the season. We came back from a good week of training camp in Puerto Rico, and are now looking forward to resting for MAACs so we can pull off some good performances,” said Grigull.