After a difficult week of practice, the women’s swimming and diving team competed against Atlantic 10 rivals Duquesne and LaSalle last weekend in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sophomore Tanja Kirmse led the way for the Bonnies, winning the 200-yard freestyle, the 200-yard butterfly and the 500-yard freestyle. Juniors Adelyn Graf and Elizabeth Malone turned in second-place finishes in the 200-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly, respectively. Although the team finished in third place, first-year coach Krista Carlson was pleased with the result.
“A lot of girls stepped up and swam well. We had a pretty tough week of practice, so I wasn’t expecting any lights-out performances. I wanted to see if the girls could train through this meet,” Carlson said.
Sophomore Emily Quinn agreed with her coach.
“As a team, we pulled together really well. We trained a lot last week. Still, some girls swam really well, so I think it was a good test for us, mentally,” Quinn said. “It’s always easy to fall back on excuses like ‘we trained really hard, or we’re all really sore,’ but we just had to focus on giving it all we had. We’ve done a good job of working hard for the team.”
With the Duquesne meet behind them, the Bonnies will shift their focus to Saturday’s home meet against Cleveland State.
“For the most part, we’ll be training through this meet, but we still want to win; that’s our goal. We’re focused on the Atlantic 10 championships later this season, though,” Carlson said.
For Quinn, it is exciting to have the chance to compete at home in front of the Reilly Center fans.
“You get excited for home meets because people come out and support you. It’s a sort of home court advantage,” Quinn said.
Carlson is excited for the opportunity to coach the Bonnies, and she has big goals for her team.
“I’d love to see Tanja making the finals or even winning events at the A-10 meet, but everyone’s been putting in a lot of work. Our sophomores and juniors are really talented, and I think they can do a lot for us,” Carlson said. “Our main goal is to be a better team, and that means to each other, in the pool, and scoring points. I don’t want to predict a championship, I just want to go to the A-10 meet and perform well as a team. That, to me, is a success.”
For the first-year coach, leading the Bonnies is an exciting opportunity. Carlson is a 2009 graduate of St. Bonaventure, and she competed on the team during her time as a Bonnie.
“It really means a lot to be back,” Carlson said. “I had four of the best years of my life here. I’ve learned a lot in other coaching jobs, and I think I bring a lot of enthusiasm and experience to the team. I’ve tried to bring a fresh perspective to the program.”
Quinn has noticed the changes her new coach has made to the program.
“We have a different routine, and we do more work out of the pool,” Quinn said. “We do 30 minutes of abdominal workouts Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we run in the gym. You can definitely see the difference.”
Carlson and her team hope to pick up their first win of the season this Saturday in the Reilly Center. The meet begins at 3 p.m.
