QUINTIN JAMES
Staff Writer
Coming into its matchup against Alfred University Friday, the Fredonia women’s swimming and diving team had dropped their first five meets of the year. The team looked to come out and secure their first win of the year, but they knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Even with its losing record, the team was confident heading into this meet. The atmosphere in the locker room was very high. It was only a matter of time before their hard work paid off.
Coming off a very tough loss last week against rival Geneseo, the women’s swim team showed just some of what they could do. Now the objective was to take the good from last week and build on it for a full meet.
The Blue Devils won their first meet Friday as they defeated Alfred University by a combined score of 121-107. They were short on swimmers and still managed to win the meet, which shows that they never gave up.
Due to the unexpected shortage of players, junior divers Meghan Bartlett and Samantha Kowalewski teamed up with swimmers to race in the 200-yard freestyle at the end of Friday’s meet.
Senior Sam Rokos, who is normally a freestyle swimmer, had to race in both the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly. Lucky for the Blue Devils, she won both races with times of 1:04.74 and 1:03.59, respectively.
When faced with a difficult challenge, the women’s swimming and diving team didn’t give up or make excuses and came away with a win. Kowalewski and Bartlett handed the challenge of performing in an unfamiliar event with ease.
“I was a swimmer in high school, but it was definitely a challenge for me to race the 200,” said Kowalewski. “I perform the best when I’m having fun. I can’t focus on the negative or else I won’t perform well.”
She explained how much practicing hard every day helps the team and individual performances. Kowalewski has improved her score by 100 points on both boards, and she admits it’s a real confidence booster to win and perform well after working so hard to achieve success.
If they continue their success throughout the rest of the season, nationals will be something to look forward to for many Blue Devils.
Bartlett, who won the three-meter diving event on Friday, felt relaxed during the meet and her performance showed.
“It felt like a practice for me. It wasn’t hectic, and the late start in our own pool was very relaxing and comfortable,” said Bartlett.
However she admitted that swimming the 200-yard freestyle made her very nervous.
“It stressed me out. I didn’t want to mess up and let the team down,” said Bartlett. “It was fun though helping the team win because I think we could’ve lost if we didn’t fill in.”
Bartlett understands that to continue her success and for the team to keep winning meets means, team members need to continue to work hard and always think they can improve. If they look at what they did wrong, even in a victory, it can help them in the long run to win more meets and individual races.
The Blue Devils know that more wins should be on the horizon. If they keep working hard and playing well, the results will show more often.
The team’s next meet is on Saturday against Nazareth at 1 p.m. before they take a break until December. This is a big chance for the Blue Devils to win another meet in their pool and try and get their confidence up even more before break.