BY MADDIE WILLIAMS

In print | Published February 5, 2009

The Swarthmore men’s and women’s swim teams faced the Gettysburg College Bullets last Saturday in a challenging meet. Both Swat squads emerged unsuccessful but not disheartened.
“Gettysburg is always a tough meet for us,” co-captain Anne Miller ’10 said. “We’re still tired from our training trip and haven’t started taper practices yet.” During taper, swimmers decrease their overall yardage and increase the intensity of their practices, usually in anticipation of a big event. For Swarthmore, this includes the Conference championship meet in late February. The slippery walls and long drive to Gettysburg also didn’t help this Saturday. Additionally, because the Gettysburg pool only has six lanes, no capacity for warm-up or cool-down laps exists. When swimming at home in ten-lane Ware Pool, athletes can swim down after their races in the outside lanes, an important step in the recovery process.

The women’s team ended the meet with a 193-69 loss, and the men’s team finished with a 146-100 loss.

However, the Swarthmore teams did see some very positive individual performances at Gettysburg. Miller emerged victorious in both the 100 and 200-yard butterfly events, with times of 1:01.73 and 2:14.15, respectively. Several other athletes also had strong showings, such as Naomi Glassman ’12, who placed third in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly races.

On the men’s side, co-captain Doug Gilchrist-Scott ’09 captured the 50-yard freestyle title in 22.4 seconds. Stephen Shymon ’09 secured a Garnet victory in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:03.49, a full six seconds ahead of the second-place Gettysburg swimmer. Sterling Satterfield ’11 came in first place in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:01.49, as well as the 200-yard breaststroke, clocking in at 2:14.00. The relay team of Tim Brevart ’12, Neil Palmer ’12, Michael Ahn ’10 and Gilchrist-Scott worked together to win the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:21.57.

In preparation for this season, the swim team trained in sunny Aruba over winter break. The athletes bonded and enjoyed the warm weather on their one-and-a-half days off with activities like snorkeling and ATV (all-terrain vehicle) rides. However, Aruba was “nowhere near as relaxing as it sounds,” Naomi Glassman ’12 said. Every day, the team began practice in the pool at 6 a.m. Later in the afternoon, they returned for a second practice, combining both dry-land workouts and workouts in the water. Some practices lasted nearly five hours. “The trip was a really intense bonding experience,” Miller said. “You really get to know your teammates. We trained and suffered together, but it was overall a lot of fun.”

The swim teams indeed consider themselves a very tight-knit group. “The men’s and women’s teams act as one,” Glassman said. “Our meets are scored separately, but in most other regards, we are one team. We practice together, eat dinner together, [hang out] together and study together.” Co-captain Reid Wilkening ’10 agrees. “Everyone thinks of swimming as an individual sport, but it’s really not,” he said. “Everyone contributes.” Although some members of the team have individually impressive performances, each member has his or her own specialties and strengths.

Now, the team looks ahead to the Centennial Conference meet, which is hosted by Franklin and Marshall College. “Conferences are really what we are working for all season long,” Wilkening said. The Swarthmore men’s team came in second in the Centennial Conference last year behind Franklin and Marshall. The women’s team also finished second, trailing Gettysburg College. This year, both teams hope for at least a repeat performance or better.

The Swarthmore men’s and women’s swim teams next compete at home this Saturday, February 7 at 2 p.m.

Disclosure note: Phoenix Sports Editor Danny Friel is a member of the men’s swimming team but had no role in the production of this article.

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