Both UCSD men’s and women’s swimming and diving have a handful of graduating athletes. The men’s side will be losing leadership in four swimmers: Pat Carter, Christian Deck, Kyle Martin and Rob Raffaelli, who have all completed their UCSD careers. The women’s team will lose the steadiness and determination of Evelyn Kwok, Sandra Lopez, Molly McCorkle, Lindsey Meeks, Tia Shimada and Elisa Toulson.
Carter came to the men’s team during his junior year at UCSD and he became one of three captains for the Tritons this past season. Carter swam the 100-yard butterfly and the 50-yard freestyle; he was recognized by his effort and hard work.
“”He came in with an outstanding work ethic,”” said UCSD swimming and diving head coach Scott McGihon. “”Sometimes he would push himself past the point of exhaustion, and that pushed everyone else.””
Deck, who has been a captain for the Tritons the past two seasons, proved to be a strong relay swimmer. He participated in the 200-yard medley relay, as well as both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle races.
“”Christian was a great relay swimmer,”” McGihon said. “”He was one of those guys that we could always count on. We knew that if he was in the race, we would have a good chance of winning it.””
The third captain of the men’s team was four-year swimmer Martin. He swam the 200-yard medley relay with Deck, the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard butterfly.
“”Kyle was a guy that was a surprise swimmer during his freshman year, and he not only established himself as a great butterfly swimmer on the team, but in the conference as well,”” McGihon said.
Another senior leaving the Tritons, Raffaelli, transferred from a community college before his junior year. He was a steady contributor for UCSD in his event: the 1,000-yard freestyle.
“”Rob was a bright student who had to work through some personal adversity,”” McGihon said. “”And in the pool, he was one who just put his head down and swam as hard as he could.””
On the women’s side, Kwok, who just completed her second year as captain, was a strong swimmer on the team, but she was also influential for the younger swimmers. Kwok swam the 200-yard medley relay, the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard butterfly and the 400-yard freestyle relay.
“”Evelyn had a great presence on relays and we always knew she would have a big swim in her,”” McGihon said.
Lopez began swimming for the Tritons during her sophomore year. She peaked in her junior season when she set three school records and two National Collegiate Athletic Association records. Lopez contributed in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke.
McGihon said of Lopez: “”She was a great swimmer, hard worker and great inspiration for the rest of the team.””
McCorkle, who also swam the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke and holds a school record, was a determined swimmer for McGihon.
“”She got it in her head that she was a great swimmer,”” McGihon said.
Meeks was also a steady swimmer and managed to motivate her teammates. She participated in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke and reached the finals at the end of each of her seasons in at least one of her events.
“”Lindsey was a very, very steady breaststroker,”” McGihon said. “”She was dedicated and did not hesitate to push others into swimming harder.””
Shimada came to the women’s swim team after spending four years on UCSD crew. Injuries hindered her season and prevented her from excelling in her events: the 150-yard and 50-yard butterfly.
“”Tia did not get to swim the way she wanted to, but it was really exciting to see her fulfill a dream of hers,”” McGihon said.
Toulson, a third-year swimmer for the Tritons, was a versatile asset to the team. She swam the 150-yard butterfly and 400-yard freestyle.
“”She just would go out there and do it,”” McGihon said. “”She was the kind of student athlete that you want on your team.””
For next season, the men’s team, which ended its season with a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division II Championships, will need to find leadership and maturity in its younger swimmers next season. Meanwhile the women’s side will look for hard-working swimmers to replace its departing seniors and improve on the women’s fourth-place finish at the nationals.
