After break, swimming women keep on winning

The women's swimming and diving team did not travel to Orlando, Fla. this winter break to go to Disney World. Instead of enjoying Space Mountain after an exhausting week of finals, the women swam and trained every day starting at 6 a.m., in heated pools while outside temperatures ranged in the 30s. Yet the Bulldogs realize that these strenuous workouts will benefit the team as it prepares to face tough opponents in the near future.

JULIO TIERNAN/YH

"The recent training trip in Orlando has improved the team camaraderie and helped us to focus on the second half of the season," Heidi Kraus, SM '03, said. "Seeing my teammates training harder and swimming faster has motivated me to be stronger in my own races."

The Elis currently remain undefeated with five victories in dual meet competitions, despite finishing second at the University of Virginia Invitational in early December against a perenially strong UVA team. Posting a 126-97 win over Army on Sun., Jan. 7, the team credits its recent successes to the dedication and effort put forward during its winter training sessions.

"I think that everyone was ready for the meet against Army," Amy Hancock, MC '04, said. "People had put in a lot of time and hard work in Florida, and it was time to see some of the rewards."

Hancock, along with Susan Cooke, BK '03, Meredith Bryarly, BR '01, and Kim Richardson, ES '03, led Yale to victory against Army in the 400 medley relay. Individually, Bryarly also won the 50 free, while Cooke triumphed in the 200 individual medley. Kraus and Catey Bradford, ES '03, contributed to the team by winning the 1,000 free and 200 free, respectively. Diver Bates Gregory, BR '03, helped extend the Bulldogs' lead by finishing first in both the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions.

Perhaps the team's greatest strength is its overall depth; Head Coach Frank Keefe can rely on a number of different swimmers and divers in various events. "There isn't just one outstanding swimmer in each event. With the addition of our strong freshman class, we have the ability to dominate each race," Kraus said. However, with only six upperclassmen on the team, the Bulldogs' lack of experience may eventually take its toll, especially since they will be racing every weekend until the end of the season.

As the Elis approach the middle stretch of their season, they return to the comforts of their home pools, where the swimmers attend eight mandatory two-hour practices during the week, along with additional lifting and dry-land exercise times. Captain Laura Schned, BK '01, noted that, as the season progresses, the swimmers will direct their attention towards fine-tuning their race performances. "We're finishing up the major aerobic endurance training and beginning to focus on speed work and stroke and turn technique," she said.

In addition to remaining undefeated in dual meets, the team's goal is to finish on top of the competitive Ivy League, which includes a strong Princeton team and Harvard, who has defeated Yale for the past three seasons. "We all dream of winning Ivies," Cooke said. "Princeton will be difficult to beat, but I am confident that we will at least bring home a second-place finish, which will be a marked improvement from our fourth-place finish last year."

Keefe expects intense competition in the weeks ahead, as his swimmers prepare to battle a determined Cornell team on Sun., Jan. 14. "Our goals for the season are based on everyone swimming or diving their lifetime best times and scores," he said. "We can't hope for more than a continued improvement from everyone. We feel that with these improvements we will be the best that we can be."

Gregory added, "We're going into the tough part of the season right now with meets against Cornell, Lehigh, Penn, and Dartmouth coming up. As a team, we're hoping to go undefeated and then beat Harvard at the HYP meet."

As the swimming team's recent return from Orlando reveals, the 2000-2001 season is in full swing, with the Bulldogs seeking to extend their winning streak and seriously contend for the Ivy title. Yet the swimmers and divers recognize that continued success depends greatly upon their commitment and energy levels in upcoming competitions. "If we keep training hard and showing the improvement that we have been showing from meet to meet so far this season, we should be ready to swim exceptionally fast when we rest at the end of the season," Bradford said.

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