By Pat Tintle
Staff Writer
Before heading to Geneva, Ohio for the Atlantic 10 Championships, the Bonnies took to the road for one last meet.
The team traveled to University Park, Pa. on Feb. 1 to compete in a three-team meet with Penn State and Towson. With Penn State ranked 23rd in the country, the Bonnies were outmatched, according to Head Coach Sean McNamee.
“Not much went wrong for us,” McNamee said. “We walked into a scenario where we actually had one of our best meets of the year, as far as times go.”
Penn State ending up finishing first in 12 out of 16 races, leading to a 200-95 victory over the Bonnies and Towson. However, the Bonnies were able to take two first place finishes with wins in the 400-yard free relay and a first place finish by freshman Michael White in the 200-yard individual medley.
Despite being overwhelmed by the dominant Nittany Lions, McNamee said he is still feeling confident about the A-10 Championships, which will be held from Feb 19 to the 22
“Our sport isn’t judged on wins and losses,” McNamee said. “We don’t need wins or losses to make tournaments, or anything like that. Our goal (is championships), and that alone.”
With an 18-day gap between the Bonnies’ last meet and the upcoming championships, the team is entering the “taper phase” of training, according to McNamee. This method starts two weeks before championships, and practices focus on a high level of intensity, rather than on total yardage.
“With Champs right around the corner, we definitely increase the intensity of certain practices,” senior Michael Burud said. “We focus on speed and explosive power as opposed to lower intensity cardio-type work. That being said, there is more rest and recovery time in these practices to ensure the effort levels stay high.”
Practices will now focus on the smaller aspects of swimming, according to McNamee. The team has been building their foundation since the start of the season, and now is time to polish their hard work.
“We’re trying to take the mechanics and training we’ve had all year and let it come to surface during the rest phase,” McNamee said. “A little extra time is always looked upon positively.”
At this point in the season, sleep and diet are more important than the actual workouts, according to junior Vatslav Lets.
“We (need to) get some rest now, get more sleep. Since we didn’t get much of it for the past six months, our muscles need to recover,” Lets said.
The Bonnies are anything but nervous heading into late February. As they attempt to become the first men’s swimming team in school history to take the A-10 prize two years in a row, there is no shortage of confidence or ferocity among teammates.
“At the end of the day, it’ll come down to racing,” Burud said. “And I can tell you, this team is drooling at the opportunity to have a chance to repeat an A-10 Title.”
