Swimming & Diving
Inducted Class of 2019
Title IX regulations enacted in 1972 brought about equal opportunities for female athletes and for a group of dedicated female swimmers at Geneva High it gave them the opportunity to shine. Nicknamed the “Pink Panthers” these girls set records, won meets and became the team to beat in the newly formed Wayne-Finger Lakes Girls Swimming and Diving league.
Undefeated for four years (1974-1977), Wayne-Finger Lakes League Swimming and Diving Champions for two years (’76.’77) and a third-place team finish in Section V, Class B Championships (’76,77) behind Pittsford Mendon and Pittsford Sutherland, the Geneva High Panthers were strong performers under the tutelage of Coach Pat Ryan.
During the 1976 and 1977 seasons, the Panthers owned all individual W-FL League records and nine out of 11, respectively. They celebrated their Sectional Champions, Patty Kenny and Lisa Myers as each set new sectional records and 200 Medley Relay team of Kenny, Elaine Corwin, Myers and Barb Geiger.
However, this team was not about superstars, instead their success was a result of multiple team members placing in scoring positions in duel, league and sectional competitions. Most notably, the individual performances of Lisa, Becky and Lynn Anania, Mary and Bev Barnard, Diane Haag, and Dana Blowers all contributed to Panthers’ overall success. Impressively, many of Panther’s individual times and scores would be competitive enough to qualify today for the Girls Section V Top– 40 honors.
One of the Pink Panthers, Ann Sheilds Dinan, stated “my sister, Cathy, and I were freshman for the ‘77 season, but we already knew most of our teammates from swimming with them on Coach Bob Beaudry’s Seneca Lake Country Club swim team and from his summer swim camps at Hobart and William Smith from the time we were in elementary school. That early training gave us depth that many other teams didn’t have and also created a really supportive family feeling on the team”. It is without a doubt that the 1974-1977 Geneva High Girls’ Swimming and Diving Team set the example and paved the way for others to follow.