The Gustavus Men and Women’s Swim & Dive teams are off to a good start this season. The success is largely due to many different things. Some of the things leading to this success includes leadership from the upperclassmen, great contributions from first-years, wonderful performances from returning swimmers, and contributions from all of the hard working coaches.
“The season is off to a good start. We had a great fall training and are swimming and diving well. I’m very proud of the work the team has put in this fall. It will pay off at the end of the season,” Head Coach Jon Carlson said.
The hard work from this fall will hopefully lead to some positive results in the end of the season. The men are looking to improve from their fifth place finish in the conference last year, while the women are looking to repeat as conference champions.
Despite the men and women scoring separately in meets, they both essentially make up one team.
“They train together and compete together, but their scores are different. I think both teams add something positive to the other. They are invested in each other’s success,” Coach Carlson said.
All of the swimmers see the two teams as one.
“While we score everything separately, we train together, work together, and race together. Swimming is a sport that benefits greatly from having a mix of different people in the pool. Having both the women’s and the men’s team together allows for the possibility of every personality to make every practice and teammate great,” senior captain Jeffrey Nelson said.
It truly is a very tight knit group of both male and female swimmers and divers.
“The season has been going really well. The newcomers to the team have already made a huge impact, and the returning swimmers have led the team well in and out of the pool,” Nelson said.
This huge impact coming from the newcomers is apparent in many ways, ranging from great times in the pool to MIAC conference awards. First-years Haley Pesik and Tanner Sonnek have both been named the MIAC Swimming & Diving Athletes of The Week.
“I was very surprised when I found out I was Swimmer of the Week. It was not something that I was expecting or had even thought I could receive this year. It makes me feel proud of myself that some of my hard work this season is already paying off,” Pesik said.
Being a first-year, this is Pesik’s first collegiate swimming season.
“College swimming is a lot different than high school swimming because there are a lot more practices than in high school and a lot less frequent meets, but I love swimming here at Gustavus. I particularly enjoy just being part of an amazing group of people who are always there for me, push me and understand what I’m going through having to juggle swimming and classes,” Pesik said.
The theme of the team being full of great individuals is consistent throughout.
“I feel pretty lucky that I get to interact with such great people every day. Probably the most important thing is that I’m coaching some great people,” said Coach Carlson.
Being around such great people makes the grind of early mornings and tough training much more enjoyable for the hard working group of Gustavus swimmers.
The Gusties will take part in the Jean Freeman Invitational at the University of Minnesota this weekend. The meet should be a good test for the team, as they will face some tough competition. The next and final time that the team will play host this season will be when Carleton College comes to town on Jan. 8th.