When College of Staten Island head men's and women's swimming and diving coach Michael Ackalitis took over the reigns of the program during the middle stages of the 2011-12 season, the 25-year-old skipper didn't know what to expect.   The team muddled through the final stages of the year before an all-out rebuilding effort provided a series of highlights in his first full season with the controls.  Now, entering his second full year at the helm the reigning Women's Swimming & Diving CUNYAC Coach of the Year is ready to take the program to the next level, and that journey will start next week with CUNYAC and regional supremacy in mind.

"Our goal is to get our program to championship-form," the coach said, electing to classify both teams into a singular unit.  "That's a big difference with us.  We are a complete team, one that is working very hard, recognizing what is being asked of them, and everyone coming together and pushing each other to the next level."

Of course, CSI swimming and diving has been one of the CUNYAC's marquee programs for years, but with national-caliber swimmers on the men's side graduating and a fragile, thin women's roster, the program has taken its lumps.  That won't be the case in 2013-14, as both teams will look to improve and make noise come postseason time.

The women were on the doorstep a year ago.  The team ripped through a 7-2 regular season before placing third at the CUNYAC Championship in early-February.  Ackalitis is hoping that with the added depth this season, his team has the numbers it will take to make a run at the championship this year, with 14 returning faces packaged with a handful of new recruits.

"Last year we suffered because we simply didn't have enough placement numbers at the championship, but we good enough at the top to do well in dual meets," Ackalitis explained.  "This year we have both, and that will make us a lot better come season's end."

Of the returners for the Dolphins, junior April Bartlett, a sensational ECAC finalist in diving, returns after a two-year hiatus.  Together with reigning CUNYAC medalist Stephanie Collyer and expected midseason addition Valeria Phralofa, CSI strength will be its diving trio.  Mixed in with standouts Jessica Pifalo, record-holder Dakota Dawkins, Adrienne Vivas, and Lauren Overeem to name a few, CSI will be heavy at the top, and the depth will follow.  For Ackalitis, legitimacy is no longer a goal, but an expectation.

"We had a great freshmen class last year and we are building off of that and now the focus is on training and getting stronger and better in the pool," he said.  "To be able to turn that page is going to do us wonders, and it will aid in transitioning our younger players getting even better."

CSI brings in a total of three new faces, including St. Joseph Hill standout Naomi Gaggi, a force in short distance freestyle events.

Although the coach is not ready to take a "CUNYAC Championship or Bust" approach to the season, he does want to see his team perform to new heights.

"I think we will have the ability to turn some heads at the CUNY's and at Metro's too.  We have a fine team that will be built for high competition at dual meets and in the bigger, multi-team, meets.  We laid a good foundation last year and this year it's time to add a few layers of excellence."

No strangers to national prominence, the men's program has a more storied history of success, but with rebuilding the ultimate call in 2012-13, the Dolphins struggled through a modest 2-5 campaign and an unfamiliar fourth place finish at the CUNYAC Championship.  Ackalitis and his crew weren't thrilled with the faring, and the team returns stronger and deeper in the upcoming season.

"We have a nice mix with our men's team," Ackalitis started.  "Do we have the numbers where we would like them to be?  Not yet, but we have a strong team, and I think we have the ability to win every dual meet we compete in, and that's going to be our goal every time we get in the pool."

Of course, it helps when an NCAA medalist like Danila Novikov can rejoin the program, which is exactly what he will do alongside fellow NCAA qualifier Yury Zimarev and the expected return of Timur Rakhimov by midseason.  The team also returns CUNYAC diving dynamo John Pignatelli and Matt Gallo, along with young standouts Sergio Miranda, Nolan Reese and Mitch Lovell.

"It takes a lot of work and a lot of discipline to get to the NCAA Championship and our standout swimmers are working hard to continue in their ways and are leading by example," Ackalitis said.  "It's that kind of workload that is going to be needed to achieve better results this year."

There is plenty of impressionable talent this year for CSI to nurture.  Ackalitis is bringing in six new recruits in time for the season, the most notable being Timothy Sweeney, a St. Peter's standout who Ackalitis feels will be a cornerstone to the program over the next four years.  Together with fellow frosh Derek Villa, Ackalitis is hoping for CSI to excel in events like the butterfly and distance freestyle.

"Being a smaller team, we have to make up for our shorter roster with better performances near the top, and I think our talent will rise to the occasion," he said.  "We don't want to just hold our own this year.  We want to win meets consistently."

Could the framework be set for a championship run?  Ackalitis is hopeful, but knows that sometimes the bigger meets are determined more by quantity than quality.  "We definitely need more numbers to have a better impact at the championships, but we certainly expect to be there and make noise.  We have the talent and quality to be a force this year."

All told, CSI should have the makings for a quality season, one that begins on Tuesday, October 29, with a meet at Old Westbury that will feature CSI, Old Westbury and Brooklyn College, beginning at 6pm.  The programs follow with four meets in November, a pair in December, and four more in January that culminates with the CUNYAC Championship as January ends and February rolls in.