SCHOLASTIC GIRLS SWIMMING: Kingston’s DeLisio signs to swim at Manhattan College

Kingston >> For Kingston’s Abie DeLisio, it only took a visit to Manhattan College to convince her the school was the one she wanted to commit to.

“When I did my recruiting trips I feel like I fit in a lot more with their team than most of the other schools that I went to,” DeLisio said.

And last week she made it official, signing a National Letter of Intent to swim for the Jaspers.

“I know a couple other girls that went there and I looked at their times and I thought I would be compatible with them,” DeLisio said. “I went and I visited and I thought it would be a good fit for me.”

DeLisio was surrounded by coaches and family members during her signing ceremony on Friday, April 17. Teammates and others applauded and cheered her on at the event.

The Kingston standout swimmer focused mostly on the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle races this season, and expects to compete in the longer distance freestyle races when she gets to Manhattan. In addition to the 500, she will likely swim the 1000 and the mile. DeLisio is already looking ahead to see what records she might to able to achieve and where she might end up come championship season.

“I think one of my main focuses will be the ECAC championships in the winter,” DeLisio said. “It will be a good midseason gauge of seeing where I’m going to be for championships.”

DeLisio said that she will get a good chunk of her tuition covered through scholarship at the NCAA Division I school. The Manhattan College website marks tuition, fees and room and board at $49,605 a year.

DeLisio said that her dad has been a big help in her career.

“He’s an offical, so he knows a lot about swimming and he helped out with the sport at home,” DeLisio said.

Jim Bellesimo, DeLisio’s club coach at the Red Fox Aquatic Club, has been a big help, too.

“He has definitely been one of biggest motivators and has helped me get over the hump,” DeLisio said. “I’ve really gotten faster with him.”

Bellesimo also serves as an assistant coach for Marist College’s women’s swimming and diving team. That means that DeLisio will be coming back to the McCann Natatorium as a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rival to the Red Foxes, rather than as a member of its home club team. Still, DeLisio thinks that seeing her coach at those meets might help her ease into the college pools a little.

But the Tigers swimmer still has a lot of credit to give to her home pool in Kingston and her coaches there. DeLisio said that her current coach, Chris Sammons has been working with her since she was five. That has led to a familiarity that has helped her get better.

“He knows me very well and he knows how I train,” said DeLisio “He worked with me very well and helped get me where I am.”