By Mikael Desanto
Contributing Writer
The St. Bonaventure women’s swimming and diving team swam its senior meet this past weekend and came away with a 73-point victory over the Canisius Golden Griffins.
“We performed very well,” senior Tanja Kirmse said. “There were lots of impressive swims, and although everyone was tired from all the practices, we were motivated and showed our potential, especially for A-10s.”
Kirmse, a German native, picked up two of the Bonnies’ eight race wins in the meet, winning the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle. Freshman Brittany Hart also won the one-meter diving event in her first home meet.
The team plans to continue to work going forward and improve upon its performances, members said.
“As a team, better performance goes hand in hand with more practices and continuing to get stronger as a team,” senior Shannon Haberman said. “When we rest for a meet, our hard work and dedication from this semester will be evident through our strong performance.”
Positivity also is important to the success of the team and its future, said team members.
“Our season is incredibly long,” senior Taylor Anderson said. “It’s important for us to keep looking forward, to remember the little things and to stand strong.”
The meet marked the team’s first dual meet win of the year and the first of two home meets.
The team will swim in the Pittsburgh Invitational this weekend at the University of Pittsburgh.
“The Pitt Invite is the only other meet besides A-10s that is multiple days and prelim/final format,” senior Alexa Scanlan said. “For our freshmen, it will be their first time at a college invite, so it is nice for them to get some experience in before A-10s.”
The invitational will also give the team an idea of where they are in terms training, said Anderson.
“I think it’s not so much of a test, but more of a practice run for A-10s,” Anderson said. “It’s to see where we’re at midseason, where we need to go in terms of training afterwards.”
The seniors have each learned what it takes to make it in college swimming and can share what they have learned with prospective college swimmers, members said.
“Around 20 hours every week plus travelling and a six-month season require time management and determination,” Kirmse said. “However, the most important thing to remember is that it pays off in the end.”
