Quinn Weygandt ’26, a freshman from Madison, WI, opened Swarthmore’s swim season with a bang. In the D3 shootout in Chicago, IL, on Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5, Swarthmore swimming faced some of the nation’s toughest competition, but Weygandt still shined in the 400-meter individual medley, leaving the weekend with a fourth-place finish and time of 4:29.19. Even more impressively, the first year’s finish not only set a new Swarthmore program record, but also set a new Centennial Conference record. She broke the previous program record by a remarkable four seconds and the conference record by two. Her time also meets the NCAA B-cut standard. To top off her success, Weygandt was named Centennial Conference Swimmer of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Sophia Vesely: Can you speak more to your success at the D3 shootout this past weekend? How did it feel to not only break Swarthmore swimming’s record but also the Centennial Conference’s record?
Quinn Weygandt: I think this weekend was really exciting for the entire team. Going into the first session, we just wanted to see what would happen. We had such a crazy day, so we were not really sure how we were going to swim; all we knew was that this meet was another opportunity to race. Our 200 medley relay [which earned a fourth place finish and NCAA B-cut standard with a time of 1:45.28] started the meet off on such a high note. Everyone’s excitement and motivation skyrocketed. The electrifying atmosphere was present during both days, and that carried me through the meet. I am going to be honest, I did not find out until much later that night that I swam the Conference record time, but when I found out, I was super, super excited and honored.
SV: You have already made great contributions to the team in just the beginning of your first season at Swat — to what would you attribute your early success?
QW: Honestly, I would give credit to my coaches and my teammates. All of the sophomores and upperclassmen immediately welcomed us to the team with wide-open arms. I cannot thank them enough for making me feel like a part of the team right away and for constantly motivating me to push myself during practices. Additionally, I do not think I can even put into words how amazing our freshmen class is. I am so grateful for how close we have all gotten. Not only do we spend a ton of time together in the pool, but we also spend a ton of time together outside of it. It is just a really special group of kids. They are the reason why morning practice could be considered fun. I really would not be where I am in the season right now without them.
SV: What has the adjustment to collegiate swimming been like for you?
QW: At first, I was a little nervous that I would not be able to balance transitioning to college academics and athletics, but again, both the coaches and the team have helped make the transition so much easier. Our coaches really help us calm down; they encourage us to be present and take it one activity at a time. That really helps me on a daily basis. Swimming made the initial adjustment easier in some ways because it helped me get quickly into a routine, which allowed me to have more structure in my day. Overall, I think it was generally a pretty smooth transition.
SV: Out of the pool, how has your experience on the Swarthmore swim team been thus far?
QW: My experience outside of the pool has been great. As I mentioned earlier, the swim team spends a ton of time together, doing a variety of different activities. It is super nice that the team is so big, because pretty much wherever you go, there will be a swimmer present.
SV: What are some of your personal goals for the season?
QW: This season, I would love to drop time in really any event. I think dropping at least a little bit of time in my 500 [freestyle] would be stellar. But also, genuinely just continuing to work hard and love the sport is, and always will be, a goal for me. Additionally, I would like to try and have at least one solid/memorable conversation with everyone on the team. We have such a big team that it is sometimes hard to talk with everyone. However, because everyone’s practice schedules are different, we get many opportunities to swim with many different people.
SV: What are some of the team’s goals for the season?
QW: This season, the team is working on creating a positive and inclusive team atmosphere — I would say we are already doing a great job in this aspect. Additionally, we are working on being undefeated this entire dual meet season. And we would like to continue with what the team succeeded at last year and win the Centennial Conference swim meet.
SV: What are you interested in studying at Swat?
QW: I am not entirely sure of what I want to do in the future. But, I do know that political science is very interesting to me, and there are a ton of different class options offered at Swat.
SV: Favorite Dining Center bar?
QW: My favorite Dining Center bar would have to be the Indian bar.
