By Emily Mulcahey
Staff Writer
St. Bonaventure women’s swimming and diving team has a reputation of being one of the hardest working teams on campus, practicing twice per day five days per week. This season, Coach Krista Carlson has stated that their eyes have remained set on that same goal. The girls are certainly on a good track, splashing their way to a 160-77 victory over Niagara.
Last week, Carlson stated that the senior meet would be a “bittersweet moment” for the seniors, however, a win surely made their last home meet a little sweeter to swallow. It was as if the Bonnies had caused their own tidal wave in the pool, claiming wins in every event except the one and three meter dives.
“Overall, I think we were prepared for all the events because we’ve been training really hard.” Carlson said, “I tell the girls all the time that there’s no event that should scare you; you guys are ready to swim anything.
At the end of this season, the team will lose five seniors: Rachel Bantelman, Rachel Bull, Lauren Caldwell, Meaghan McCann and Aly Paz. However, they will not finish their senior year without one last trip to the A-10 tournament, nor without having left a lasting impression on those they leave behind.
“They’re really supportive and encouraging both in and out of the water,” said sophomore Maggie Woods of her senior teammates. “If I ever have a problem, they’re always there.”
The seniors have taken home many of the individual wins for the Bonnies this season. It is never easy for a team to say goodbye to outstanding members, but Carlson is confident that the team will continue to do well.
“All of our classes have a lot of depth,” Carlson said, “As of right now, I’m bringing in a solid class for next year, hoping to add more to that. Our seniors are going to be missed because they’re all really talented. But overall, I feel really good with the returners that we have.”
With the A-10 tournament quickly approaching, Carlson could not be more satisfied with the way this season has panned out, especially for her soon-to-be graduates.
“They all [the seniors] contribute to different areas,” said Carlson, “and at A-10s I think they’re going to have a really great meet, and I just want to send them off with having a really successful senior year.
With one last in-season meet remaining, the team will set off to the A-10 tournament.
“We’re all so excited,” Woods said, “we’ve been training so hard this year, and we’ve had a completely different training style this year. I can’t see anyone not doing how we should. We’ve all put in the work in the water.”
The team has had a successful season, partly due to an extensive amount of training and hard work, having climbed out of bed for 5:30 am practices both on land and in the water for months.
“It can be hard to keep a positive attitude when practices are really tough and I don’t feel like I get a break,” Woods laughed, “but in the end, it will all be worth it.”
The team has one last regular season meet, on Jan. 30 at the University of Buffalo at 5 p.m. After that, the team is on to their ultimate goal: the A-10 Championship.
mulcahek12@bonaventure.edu
