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Home For The Love of Lucas: Hartwick Swimmers Run to Support Coach Dale
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They ran for family members. For friends. For loved ones lost to addiction.
And for Dale.
“We love Coach Dale,” said Mike Shultz ‘24. “Hartwick’s swim teams have always been a community, and we show that by running to remember Lucas and raise awareness about substance abuse disorders.”
Head Swimming and Diving Coach Dale Rothenberger and his wife, Cathy, founded the annual Rothenberger Road to Recovery Run after their son Lucas died as the result of a drug overdose on Sept. 6, 2017. He was 28.
“We were working diligently to try and help Lucas through these issues,” Rothenberger said. “But I can still remember that moment when the State Police knocked on our door. No parent ever expects that.”
The run started in 2018 and benefits Friends of Recovery of Otsego and Delaware County (FORD-DO), which assists people in recovery from substance abuse disorders.
Community service is such a part of our team. We give free swim lessons and do adopt-a-highway cleanups. Giving back is so important, and it helps us all understand that there is more than just ourselves.
Dale Rothenberger
The Rothenbergers’ daughters – Dana Rothenberger Faulconer ‘00, Tara Rothenberger McCoy ‘02 and Nicole Rothenberger Karabinis ‘05 – also swimmers under their father’s coaching – not only join their family for the run every year but bring their children to run alongside them.
And that bond between Hartwick swimmers and their coach remains strong, even after they graduate.
“I try to come back every year,” said Colin Leonard ‘22, now a registered nurse at St. Peter’s Health Partners in Slingerlands, NY. “It’s important that we show up for Dale and Cathy and to promote a great cause.”
“I brought my husband to run,” said Abigail Blake ‘21, whose husband, Noah Blake, was joining her for the first time. “This team is a family, and we always show each other support.”
Dana’s former roommate, Kristin Leonard ‘99, returned once again. Chris Villa ‘99, drives up from Indiana, PA, where he is the head swimming and diving coach at Indiana University, to run in the race. And Jay Kalbach ‘97 is passing down the tradition to his daughter, Ella ‘26, a player on the volleyball team, though she missed this year’s run because of a game.
“We have lots ‘old-timers (veterans)’,” said Cathy. “It swells our heart that people come back to support us every year.”
And as he mounted the pace bike, Rothenberger reflected on the run – and his son’s – legacy.
“We can make a difference,” he said. “On campus and in the community.”
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