By Emily Mulcahey
Staff Writer
College-level swimming is not for the weak hearted. Four days a week, swimmers wake before the rest of the world to start training. Holidays cut short and homework brought with them on the road, the women’s swimming and diving team spends six months in the water, all in preparation for the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The Bonnies faced a tough outcome at the A-10s this past weekend, placing tenth out of eleven teams in the tournament. They faced the most competitive teams in their conference, Richmond, Duquesne and Fordham taking the top spots. However, they knew which teams to look out for going into the weekend, players said.
“The entire A-10 conference is extremely competitive, and we knew going in we were going to have to swim fast to make it make to finals,” freshman IM Devon McFadden said of her first A-10 experience. “Certain teams like UMass and Richmond are always at the top of the conference, and we knew going in they would receive the most points. However, for us, some of our biggest competitors were George Washington and URI (University of Rhode Island).”
Coach Krista Carlson echoed this opinion.
“Every team in our conference is tough competition. With 11 women’s swimming and diving programs competing for 16 spots at finals in every night, you have to go in thinking everyone is going to put up a fight for those spots.”
Each opposing team certainly did put up a fight, causing the Bonnies to trail in the beginning and never fully recover. However, in the diving events the Bonnies were outmatched before they even loaded their bags onto the bus: they have not had divers for weeks due to injuries, forcing them to forfeit each diving event. Carlson stated overcoming a lack of divers was a big challenge
Although it wasn’t an ideal finish after a hard-working season, the Bonnies focused more on their improvements, and how close they have become as a team.
“This team is full of hard workers and really amazing individuals,” McFadden said, “I have never met a group of harder workers in my life and we need to continue to have this work ethic next year. I really love my team and, I think we achieved a lot this year, and we will continue to become more and more successful every year.”
Carlson agreed and made sure to note how impressed she was with the team not only this past weekend, but during the season overall.
“The team has improved in every area,” Carlson said. “As a whole they are a stronger team in the weight room, in the pool and as a team in general. They have really formed a tight bond over the season, and it has been exciting for myself as a coach to watch.”
With a relatively young team, and a first-year coach, the team only has hope for the seasons to come.
“Obviously, having a new coach this year in was difficult for everyone to get used to the new scheme of things,” McFadden commented, “but I truly believe things are turning around for this program. Next year we need to focus on staying positive, which isn’t easy getting up at the crack of dawn everyday, but it needs to happen. “
The swim season will resume next August, bringing in a new pack of freshman. After a season of many firsts, the girls can improve at the A-10s with some more experience in their pockets.
