On the weekend of Nov. 21, the men’s and women’s swimming teams travelled to Pittsburgh, Pa to compete in an invitational hosted by the University of Pittsburgh. The men, who were riding a two-meet winning streak, finished fourth in a field of seven teams while the women placed second out of ten teams.
Junior Viacheslav Shchukin led the way for the men’s team, placing second in the 100-yard freestyle with a final time of 45.14. Seniors Vatslav Lets and Matt Rochna also turned in high finishes. Lets placed fifth in the 200-yard backstroke while Rochna finished fourth in the 200-yard butterfly.
On the women’s side, sophomore Tanja Kirmse kept her strong season going by winning the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:03.53. The 200-yard butterfly would prove to be the Bonnies’ strongest event as junior Elizabeth Malone and senior Lauren Caldwell also placed in the top five.
For first-year coach Krista Carlson, it was momentous for her team to swim so well in a large invitational.
“I thought our girls did well,” Carlson said. “They were ready to race, and their times were, for the most part, what I was expecting them to do. All across the board, it was a good, positive meet. This gives our girls some confidence going into the Atlantic 10 meet because they know that the training they’re doing is benefiting them.”
Freshman Maria Rocchi was also proud of her team’s showing.
“I think we had a really strong performance,” Rocchi said. “Tanja [Kirmse] always swims well, and Liz [Malone] swam really fast too. It was a surprise for us to finish second. I knew we’d swim fast, but I didn’t think that fast.”
For Rocchi, the multi-day format of the invitational proved to be a big challenge.
“I felt strong on the first day, but then, I got weaker,” Rocchi said. “My mind was still in it, but my body really wasn’t. Everyone was performing so well that we were motivated to do our best.”
While pleased with her team’s performance, Carlson says it was not unexpected.
“Second place was great,” Carlson said. “It was a nice plus to the weekend. We were training hard for this.”
The men’s team will race again this weekend in at the AT&T Winter National Championships. The women, however, will not race again until January. Instead, they will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for a winter training session.
Even though Rocchi would prefer to race again soon, she is also excited for the Florida trip. She knows, however, that the trip to Florida will come with plenty of hard work.
“I’m excited to be in Florida,” Rocchi said, “but I’m not excited to be training.”
For Carlson, the winter training in Florida is about more than just swimming.
“It will be the toughest part of the season,” Carlson said. “But Florida is a great opportunity to come together as a team. You see a lot of new friendships come out of the Florida trip.”
For both teams, the winter break will be a vital part of the season as they continue to train for the Atlantic 10 meet.
