Author: Emily Phillips
With the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships just around the corner, the Oxy Swimming and Diving Team is getting fired up and preparing for the tough competition.
Both the Men’s and Women’s Team started their season off in Nov. with a big win against Cal Lutheran. According to Audrey Akcasu (junior), the women continued their season as expected, but the men have struggled throughout the season.
Continuing with conference play the Tigers had “a very disappointing loss to Whittier, but a really close meet against the powerhouse that is Redlands,” she said.
“It’s especially tough on the men having no male divers. There were some meets they could’ve won had they gotten those extra points.”
Throughout the season, the swimmers have gone through a rigorous training regiment comprised of two-a-days – one in the early morning, focused on dry-land circuits and weights, and one in the afternoon in the pool. However, now that the regular SCIAC season has come to a close, the swimmers are now in what they like to call “the best time of the year,” the period known as taper.
Tapering involves swimming shorter distances for shorter periods of time. The goal is to allow muscles to recover from the regular season and to save up much energy for use at the SCIAC Championships. The team takes tapering very seriously and is discouraged by their coaches from exerting any energy at all.
“If you see a swimmer walking up the Norris hill, give them a ride! We’re on taper!” Nancy Moore (senior) said. In addition to being on taper, the Tigers are preparing for SCIAC by continuing it’s long-standing tradition of not shaving from the beginning of winter training until SCIAC.
“Before the meet, we shave our legs and arms, and the men shave their beards. Removing any extra hair can take off hundredths of a second; it may not seem like a lot, but that small difference can win a race,” Eileen McMillan (senior) explained.
The Men’s and Women’s Swim teams and the Women’s Diving team all practice together much of the time, which has lead to this year’s Oxy Swimming and Diving theme of “Oxy Love.”
“Oxy swimming is like one big family. We all act like siblings towards each other. We bicker and fight when we’re all tired and sore, but when it comes down to it we’re all there screaming and fighting for each other on the edge of the pool,” Sean Inoue (senior) said.
Many of Inoue’s teammates had similar things to say about how well this year’s team has bonded. According to McMillan, the teams “spend so much time together that it’s hard not to love each other.”
The team love and bonding all began on Jan. 2, when the team was required to be back at Oxy to prepare for their Jan. 4 meet. Similar to the men’s and women’s basketball teams, these water Tigers found that being at Oxy over winter break was a great opportunity to get to know one another and get involved in bonding activities.
Although it was difficult for some to get up and swim each day, winter training was surprisingly relaxing for most. “The most you had to worry about was getting out to practice twice a day and what you’re going to have for breakfast,” Sara Mendoza (junior) said.
Aside from all of the love, a part of what makes this year’s team very different from previous years is the new Interim Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Coach, Glen Myer. Myer is also taking on the position of Assistant Director of Athletics. Before coming to Oxy, Coach Myer served as part of the coaching staff for both the water polo and swimming teams at Cerritos College, as well as the diving coach during his last 3 years at Cerritos.
Despite Meyer being given the tough assignment of filling in for Coach Peggy Carl, Coach Myer has proved to be a great addition to Oxy athletics, according to several people close to the team. “The biggest thing Glen has brought to the team is positivity, which is something that was really lacking in the past. Our assistant coaches, Adam Wright and Scott Shannon, who graduated in ’06 and swam all four years here, have made the transition much easier,” McMillan said.
Zachary Condon (first-year) and Alex Budig (first-year) agreed that while the upper classmen have had a difficult time adjusting, Coach Meyer has been incredibly open to compromise and continuing established Oxy traditions.
“Glen has done a good job working with the captains in order to preserve past training styles as well as adding his own approach,” Budig said.
The Men’s Team ended their regular season with a record of 3-4, while the Women’s Team has a record of 4-3 heading into SCIAC Feb. 7-9 in Long Beach.
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