The Colgate Men’s and Women’s Swim and Dive teams held a meet at home against Marist for Breast Cancer Awareness Weekend on Nov. 8. The women’s team won by a score of 166-134, while the men lost 120-176. First-year Katie Miller finished first in both the 1000-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle to help the Raiders to victory. On the men’s side, first-year David Brophy won the 1000-yard freestyle and the 50-yard freestyle.
The women’s team has had a strong campaign so far, with wins over Lafayette College and Le Moyne College, as well as a first-place finish in October’s Colgate Invite.
Miller said the team loved getting the win over Marist University, noting that her teammates viewed it as a revenge meet after losing to them last year. She explained that, despite the team’s intensified training schedule over the past month, they were able to push through to earn the victory.
“It was awesome,” Miller said. “We were in the middle of our training, we were a little tired from what we call ‘Rocktober,’ which is when our training increases and is very intense during the month of October. Winning this meet was very satisfying.”
Brophy said that this training, while rigorous, has helped him improve his times throughout the season.
“I’ve been training a lot more than I did in high school with the new college schedule,” Brophy said. “I’ve also been lifting, and it’s been really beneficial, and I feel like that’s been reflected in my times.”
Senior Matthew Szypula also noted the value of the team’s training schedule, mentioning how the team has stuck together and drawn on their collective strength throughout the season.
“One thing that worked well for me this season is putting more emphasis on the stuff we do outside of the water with our lifts and dry land before practice, which I think has helped with how I am feeling in the water and getting stronger,” Szypula said. “As a team, I think just keeping each other accountable and disciplined as we go through our toughest training months has helped us a lot.”
As first-years, Brophy and Miller have both felt accepted by the upperclassmen and have noticed the connectedness that is created by this inclusive environment.
“The team dynamic is really supportive, especially as a [first-year], and I feel very welcome on the team,” Brophy said. “You can tell that everyone wants to see each other succeed, and we motivate each other in practice.”
“Being new to the team this fall, I immediately felt like I was joining a new family,” Miller said “Everybody is so close with one another throughout the grade levels. The team is very positive – we hold each other accountable for being positive, acknowledging that one person’s negativity can impact the whole team. The team is beyond encouraging – not once has anybody ever doubted another person on the team.”
Szypula also notices the positive energy surrounding the team.
“We’re always hanging out outside the pool and cheering each other on at every practice, which I think just gets everyone motivated knowing you get to swim with some of your best friends every day,” Szypula said. “Our connectedness helps at meets since we are always rooting for each other. At every meet, you won’t see anyone sitting on the bench when they’re not swimming, since they are all standing and jumping on the side of the pool or behind our lanes, cheering on our team.”
Miller said the team’s energy goes beyond cheering each other on. Part of what keeps the team going through the difficult days of training is approaching their practices with a positive attitude.
“I think one of our team’s strengths is our humor,” she said. “I don’t think I have had a practice yet where I didn’t smile or laugh at somebody’s joke or story. Our team is able to find humor in every situation. Even if a set is hard or a meet is exhausting, somebody always finds a way to make light of that situation through humor.”
Szypula said both his teammates and his coaches do a good job of making him feel supported. He says this constant motivation helps him get through the toughest practices and meets.
“You’ll always see your teammates saying good job or giving you a high five after every practice, or even just yelling some words of encouragement throughout the practice and our coaches have really emphasized that with stuff like Coach Ed [Pretre] always checking in to see how you’re doing and giving you some encouragement after a practice or meet or Coach Kelsey [Reagan] always making sure to give everyone a fist bump at the end of practice,” Szypula said.
Brophy said he’s looking forward to the Patriot League Championships at the end of the year and is hoping to place well there. Similarly, Miller is excited to continue contributing to the team in any way she can through the rest of the season. As a senior, Szypula is focused on making the most of the time he has left at Colgate.
“I’d like to keep working on all the little things that can make me better and hopefully have some good swims to close out my college swimming career,” he said. “As a team, I think we definitely have a chance to move up at our conference meet and pick up some dual meet wins along the way, so I think just keeping the focus we have now and continuing to push each other in practice will put us in a great position to finish the season strong.”
The men’s and women’s teams will look to continue their strong seasons at the Loyola Invite in Maryland on the weekend of Nov. 21-23. The season culminates at the Patriot League Championships in mid-February.
