“What’s four plus four? Eight! We ate it up!” came the shouts from the locker room as the swim team chanted and celebrated their enormous victory.
The opening weekend of the Northwest Conference (NWC) was a triumphant victory for both the women’s and men’s swim teams. The 2-day meet consisted of long-distance events occurring on Friday, Nov. 1, against the University of Puget Sound (UPS) and short-distance events on Saturday, Nov. 2, against Pacific Lutheran University (PLU).
A succession of victories towards the end of the meet against UPS secured the win for the Whitworth women’s team. Sprinting to victory in the 50-yard freestyle, Jillian Larrabee gained the upper hand for Whitworth against the Loggers.
Isabella Hoopes and Megan Bonikowsky both helped secure the win against UPS by placing first and second in the 200 backstroke, leaving Whitworth victorious with a final score of 110-95. Bonikowsky comments on the meet, saying, “Overall, everyone did really well. Everyone at least had one good race.”
The men’s team began the meet with a significant lead that carried them to victory with a final score of 111.5-93.5. Samuel Drager’s victory in the 200-yard backstroke helped to create a large margin for Whitworth to win against UPS. Draeger reports that he was happy with his time but was at first a little worried that he wouldn’t get back into the swing of normal competition.
Whitworth’s performance against PLU succeeded that of the first day and resulted in a sweeping score of 161-39 for the women and 140-62 for the men. The women were especially dominant against the lutes, setting a record for the wide margin they won by.
Much of the team’s success in their first meet is owed to the high volume of training and practice dedicated to swimming. Draeger describes his experience waking up at 5 a.m. for practices: “It makes Saturday practice at 7 p.m. feel like sleeping in.”
The team’s hard work was exemplified by their performance at this particular meet, but another notable aspect of the team’s success is the support system the team has built within itself. Cheering on teammates at meets and bonding activities outside of practice helps swimmers perform at their best and build morale.
First-time meets are often nerve-racking for freshmen who have not yet competed at the college level. Bonikovsky had previously competed in Canada, where the distances are measured in meters, so growing accustomed to yards was another obstacle for her at her first collegiate-level meet.
Seemingly, most of the reports about the meet were positive and full of fun memories rather than nervous ones. “It was fun; they [the freshmen swimmers] were ready for it and just ready to start the season. They all did really good,” says Maria Girbacea, a second-year on the Whitworth swim team.
This meet is leaving the swimmers with high hopes and a positive outlook for the rest of the season. They are currently expected to take second in the conference, but based upon this meet’s results and other school’s performances, they are expecting to claim first in the NWC.
