SWIMMING & DIVING — The UCSD swimming and diving team has faced some very serious challenges at the start of the 2009-10 season — but if its record-breaking first meet is any indicator, there shouldn’t be much more trouble in the water.
Though the team’s practices are usually held at Canyon View Aquatic Center, players and coaches were forced to move their preparations to nearby Cathedral Catholic High School when the UCSD steam room exploded. Needless to say, early season preparations have not been ideal.
“We’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices and compromises without trying to compromise training,” head coach Scott McGihon said. “We’re in a position now of having to drive down to Coronado, where we train for three to four hours at a high school.”
Adding to the Tritons’ location problems is a rocky transition period to a new set of competitors after losing several key members of the strong 2008-09 squad.
During last year’s campaign both the men and women’s teams won the Pacific Coast Swimming Conference Championships in Long Beach, sending a combined 26 student athletes to the NCAA Division II National Championships.
At Nationals, UCSD saw two of its star swimmers — seniors Dan Perdew and Kendall Bohn — become National Champions in the 100-meter freestyle and the 200-meter breaststroke, respectively. Additionally, McGihon was recognized as the Pacific Coast Swim and Diving Coach of the Year.
In order to live up to their history, the team will be counting on a large contingent of underclassman swimmers, who will make up 17 of the 23 spots on the men’s roster and 23 of 29 on the women’s.
McGihon is quick to quell any concern that the underclassmen may not be ready.
“We’re very excited about this year’s recruiting class — the best we’ve had in school history,” McGihon said.
Based on the results of the annual intersquad Blue vs. Gold Meet that took place on Oct. 10, there is little evidence to the contrary.
McGihon said the meet was a good opportunity for the team to gauge its strengths and weaknesses. The team started its first preseason meet off right, collectively breaking nine meet records.
The blue women emerged victorious over their gold-team counterparts by a score of 137-126, while the gold men held on for a tight 128-126 victory over the blue team.
The story of the day, however, was the record-breaking performances of freshman Adam Rice and sophomore Alex Henley, who broke two meet records apiece.
Rice set all-time men’s meet records in both the 300-yard individual medley and the 150-yard fly. Henley did the same in the women’s record books, for the 150-yard backstroke and the 300-yard individual medley.
After his first collegiate-level meet, Rice offered a humble reflection on his performance.
“I tried to keep up a positive mindset, and to be OK with how I do, but to push my body as far as it can in every individual race,” Rice said. “I want to hold that mindset throughout the rest of the year, since it has worked for me so well in the past.”
The Tritons’ next meet is on Oct. 24, when they host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps; the meet will again be held at the Cathedral Catholic High School pool.
“I think our main goal, of course, is to better what was done last year,” Rice said. “I think this year — with all of the fast freshmen we have — we can achieve that and most likely do more than expected.”
