By Nick Konotopskyj
Dynasty. It is a word that does not get thrown around too often in sports. It is reserved for teams who sustain long-term success over their competition.
Starting Feb. 18, the Bonnies will be looking for their third straight Atlantic 10 Championship, which is a feat that has never been accomplished by any swim team in the history of the university.
“Definitely a lot of pressure on us right now,” senior swimmer Vatslav Lets said. “That’s why we put in all of this work, that’s why we wake up at 5 every morning and come to the pool. We are given the ability and the opportunity, and that is something we need to take advantage of.”
Lets is from Novosbirsk, Russia and compete in the mid-distance freestyle and mid-distance backstroke next week in Geneva, Ohio.
“My personal goal is to win one individual event and finish at least top three in the other one,” Lets said.
With such a short time from now until the big meet, the only thing the Bonnies can do is relax, work light during practice and get mentally prepared.
“We are starting to get a little bit more sleep, laying off the weights and just focusing on minor things,” said sophomore marketing major Michael White.
White, who is from Phoenix, Arizona, will compete in the 400 individual medley (IM), 200 IM, and 200 fly.
“I want to podium in all three of my races, preferably be first in all three,” White said.
The Bonnies have what it takes to bring home the conference championship according to Lets, and their relays are a huge reason why.
“In swimming, relays give you double points and in the last two years, we have won 10 out of 10 relays,” Lets said. “We have really been focusing on accountability, relay pick up and making sure people know their positions.”
Relays are the Bonnies’ biggest strength, but the great thing about this team is how well they perform across the board in sprinting, mid-distance and long-distance events.
“I think we have a lot more depth at the top,” said White. “We have guys that will make top three in pretty much every race. I think we should get two to three people into the finals of just about every event.”
These Bonnies are heading into the biggest meet of the season with confidence. However, there is a lot of competition in the A-10, which will make the three-peat hard to get.
“It’s definitely going to be George Mason and Massachusetts,” Lets said. “They both have depth with their teams. There are 17 individuals, and every single person is tough. Both teams bring to the table solid diving, so we need to make sure we outscore them in other parts of the meet.”
Michael White shares a similar opinion to Lets, although he believes there is one other team in the mix.
“I’d say it is a tie between three teams: George Mason who stacked relays last year like us, then La Salle who has been putting up some really good times recently, and then finally UMass who has always been there,” White said.
The A-10 Championship meet will be held from Feb. 18-21.
konotonr12@bonaventure.edu
