Although the season is winding down, the Blazers Swim and Dive team continues to work hard to finish the season on a strong note. With the MIAC Invite just two weeks away and the MIAC Conference the week after, the Blazers are taking the crucial final steps to drop time and score the most points possible at their final meet.
“We are fine-tuning all of the technique that will ensure our success at our big meets,” Head Coach Kathy Walker said. “We are resting, hydrating, visualizing, cutting down our on-deck dance parties and getting ready to race fast.”
This has been a successful season for the Blazer swim and dive team. They have beaten several teams to whom they have lost in previous years, including their victory over Carleton on Jan. 14. The Blazers will be one of the most competitive teams at the conference meet this year.
“Our divers should do well and place in the top eight,” Walker said. “Carolyn Triggs was in South Africa last year, so this is her year to shine. Our distance swimmers and our sprint freestylers have been placing well. We should do well in all events and relays.”
The team’s success is attributed to more than the hundreds of hours they’ve spent training in the pool since the season began last October.
“I would also like to think it is the banana bread I bake for the team to take on the bus,” Walker said.
Walker knows it is the team’s commitment to each other and to the sport that has made this one spectacular season.
“We have great team chemistry this year,” senior captain Carolyn Triggs said. “Each class brings something to the table and everyone gets along so well. We have gotten especially close thanks to the training trip during winter break.”
It’s a bittersweet time for Triggs, as she is preparing to swim in the final meet of her swimming career. After experiencing her most successful season ever, Triggs definitely will be a key contributor to the Blazer’s conference team.
“I hope to get lifetime bests in my three events,” Triggs said. “I would like to place top three in the 200 and 400 IM along with a few relays, but I can only control my time. I can’t predict how well others will swim.”
Sophomore Lauren Kessler has also enjoyed a solid season. Kessler is one of the strongest distance swimmers on the team and hopes to place in the top eight in all of her events.
“I have been trying to eat better and get more sleep,” Kessler said. “I need to rest my body in order to be ready to race fast.”
The MIAC Conference meet is Feb. 16-18 at the University of Minnesota. The U of M’s natatorium is known for being one of the fastest pools in the country. Their success will continue through the end of the season, as the Blazers plan to hold nothing back.