On Oct. 26, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams claimed first place at the Illinois Wesleyan Invite, marking the third consecutive victory for the Vikings. The men’s squad scored 138 points, while the women scored an impressive 145.
While it was a competitive invite for the Vikings, it also involved more than just swimming. Team spirit was high, and a costume competition added a festive feel to the meet. The environment created an atmosphere that felt both intense and supportive.
“It feels great, and everyone always has such a fun time,” senior Annabella Valenti said. “We all dress up, and it’s a fun meet that takes us out of the swimming mindset, and I think that’s what helps us always win because we’re more thinking about having fun than being stressed about our events. I would say we had more team spirit this year. We all cheered for each other and were there for each other, and our work ethic was stronger this year than before.”
Despite the great team win, First-Year Carter Lavold stole the show with his win in the 200-yard fly, which broke the all-time pool record. It was a proud moment for both him and his teammates who were with him every second of the race.
“It felt amazing because that was the first record I’ve ever broken for anything,” Lavold said. “I always swim outside, so you can’t hear the cheering. Having that experience of hearing everybody cheer, I heard everybody cheering every time I came up for breath. It was so awesome.”
Another dominating invitational was the dual meet against Illinois Wesleyan on November ninth, where both the men’s and women’s teams won their meets. While both squads are 3-0, Coach Lloyd wants to keep the winning momentum going and not get over their heads.
“I think the biggest thing is knowing that each competition is a step forward,” Lloyd said. “Each point that we go forward, that we’re just trying to, as we put it, [put] money in the bank, in terms of just making sure that everything that we do we’re going to be able to pull out at the end and excel from there.”
With such a long season for the teams, it is important for them to stay motivated. Swimmers like junior Michael Garland say the team chemistry keeps them pushing forward while going through a long season together.
“We just check in with each other. We hang out, keep that team bond high and always watch out for each other,” Garland said.
Another challenge added to the team is the burnout they may face while having so many meets close to each other. While some coaches would see that as an issue, Lloyd views it as an opportunity that keeps them in a competitive mindset, as each competition differs.
“The competitions help prevent burnout because they’re getting a chance to compete,” Lloyd said. “They will do a different style of how you typically run a race or a competition. It’s not just going through the same type of competition. I think that’s important, but it is good to mix styles up. But yes, competition, the more we can fit in there, the better to check where we’re at.”
As the season progresses, the team hopes to keep focused on pushing for the goals they set out to achieve at the beginning of the season. While the team has set out both personal and team goals, each practice and invitational is one step forward in the right direction.
“Our primary focus is conference,” First-Year Giselle Koonce said. “It’s not necessarily winning every dual meet or invite. Still, knowing that leading up to conference, if we keep checking in on our speed and our racing ability at these meets and working hard every day, putting everything we have into each practice, we know that we will be able to win the conference.”
Both teams will return to the pool on Nov. 23 to compete against Grinnell College. This meet will be the Vikings’ senior day, during which all seniors will be honored for the hard work they have contributed to the program.
