Congratulations Tucker!

Tucker Jackson Gets Inducted to the Whitman Hall of Fame

Saturday night, Tucker Jackson, '01, became the second Whitman swimmer in school history to be inducted to the Whitman Varsity Athletics Hall of Fame.
During his four years at Whitman, Jackson never lost a race in the 50 freestyle.  He is the only Whitman swimmer ever to achieve that feat.  He is also the only Whitman swimmer to win four consecutive Northwest Conference titles.  His lifetime best 21.40 in the 50 freestyle was the school record from 1999 until 2011, when then Freshman Karl Merring broke that time with a spectacular mid-season swim of 20.93.  Jackson was only slightly less dominant in the 100 freestyle, where he lost just one dual meet race in four years.  Jackson's 1999 record time of 47.07 barely outlasted Jamie Nusse ('11) who narrowly missed beating Jackson's time during his senior campaign and who holds the third fastest time in Whitman history at 47.15.  However, it was Nusse who ended Jackson's Whitman Alumni Meet winning streak in the 50 freestyle.  Jackson had won the 50 free at every alumni meet from 2002 until Nusse beat him in 2010.  Karl Merring eventually dethroned Jackson's 100 freestyle record as well with his phenomenal 2012 NWC Championship winning swim of 46.14.  Though he is no longer on the record board, Jackson still holds Whitman's 2nd fastest times in the 50 and 100 freestyle, the 6th fastest 200 freestyle, and the 8th fastest 100 butterfly.
"My freshman year we had five guys and five women," Jackson recalled of the swimming program.  "We couldn't run two relays."
Eleven years later, the team has grown from 10 to over 40; from battling it out to avoid being last at the NWC Championships to a best ever second place Men's finish and third place Women's finish in 2012; from barely being able to put together one relay to having 2012 NWC Men's Champion relays in the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle relays. 
Whitman is a strong team and only getting stronger.  Though the accomplishments and goals have moved onto the National stage, Tucker Jackson and his legacy continues to inspire new generations of Whitman swimming.

Triathlon Tomorrow!

It's not too late to participate in the triathlon!  The registration table will open at 6:45am tomorrow morning at the Harvey Pool if you would like to race but haven't submitted your entry form yet.  $30 per individual and $45 per team.  See you there!

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Running All Summer

Last summer, rising sophomore Nic Win competed in the Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon

The 2012 Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon brought out more than 22,000 competitors.  One of those was our own Nic Win.  It was his first ever marathon.
"I felt like I needed to do something big," Nic said.
Nic finished 288th out of 1657 male finishers, and 355th out of 3094 total finishers.  His time of 3:40:55 put him at an average pace of 8:26 per mile.  Despite his outstanding performance in his first ever effort in the 26.2 mile race, it wasn't easy. 
"The training for it was hard," he said.  "And during the race, refusing to believe that my body was giving up on me after the 20 mile mark was also pretty tough."  Nic made it through the first 20 miles in a blistering 2:32:59.
"It's fun realizing that I was one of hundreds of people running in the event.  It's fun to realize what people are actually capable of."
Nic plans on continuing his distance running endeavors in his off-seasons from swimming.  "It's always nice to be reminded about what sports are all about," he says.  "It's good to get a different  perspective."

During his first year at Whitman, Nic was a dominant force in both the 100 and 200 backstroke and the 200 IM.  At the NWC Championships Nic placed 4th in the 200 IM with a time of 1:56.48, the second fastest time in Whitman history and just .05 off the school record.  He followed his 200 IM with a 5th place performance in the 100 backstroke with a time of 53.03, also the second fasted in Whitman history, bested only by fellow Freshman Kevin O'Leary who set the Whitman record time with a 52.86.  Nic was also 7th at the NWC Championships in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:58.54.  He ranks 3rd all-time at Whitman in that event.  Finally, Nic was a member of both the 200 and 400 medley relay teams.  Both of them set school records at the NWC Championships.

When asked what he's most looking forward to about the 2012-2013 season Nic said simply, "Winning something big."

Let the Season Begin!

This afternoon we had our first practice of the 2012-2013 season!  We were so excited to see all of the old and new faces alike!  Here's to another ground-breaking season for Whitman Swimming!

Fall Triathlon September 29th!

Don't forget to sign up for our annual Fall Triathlon!  Registration is just $20 for each individual and $30 for each team if you register by September 21st.  All participants get a t-shirt, snacks, and entry to win some great raffle prizes.  The course is flat and easy with a 500 yard swim (in the Paul Harvey Pool), a 10 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run.  You can sign up in Reid Campus Center from 12-1pm starting Monday, September 17th.  There are also sign up sheets available in Baker Ferguson Fitness Center, Sherwood Athletic Center, and downtown at Allegro Cyclery.  Contact Chris Bendix with questions.
See you at the race!

Kevin Goes to Germany

Here's what Kevin Dyer, a Senior and one of our two Men's Team Captains, had to say about what he did last summer.   



This last summer I spent a portion of my time at home, doing the normal summer thing (working, relaxing, hanging out with friends), but at the beginning of July that all changed. For basically the entire month of July I was in Leipzig, Germany, as part of a German as a foreign language course. I was able to take the course thanks to a scholarship I was awarded from the German Academic Exchange Society (Deutscher Akademischer Austasch Dienst in German), which was incredibly awesome. Basically all of my expenses were paid for, and I got to spend several weeks both learning more of the language and getting to experience authentic German culture. It was an absolutely incredible experience that I feel extremely lucky to have had (the bed bugs that I got from the first hotel I stayed in aside).

I loved getting to experience Germany, as well as getting to know the people in my program, many of whom were from countries other than the US. Favorite thing (apart from the monuments, the trips to famous, historical cities like Berlin and Dresden, and the general awesomeness about being there)? The food! Oh man, the food! Coming back to the States was hard for several reasons, but right up there at the top of the list was leaving the German bakery culture behind (like our Starbucks culture, but with a bakery on every corner instead). If I could bring back one thing from their culture and add it to ours, it would definitely be that.

As of now, I'm not sure if I'll be using my experience for other Whitman projects, outside of the improvements to my German language skills which I will be applying to my German courses this year. Regardless, it was an experience I am very fortunate to have had, and I am extremely glad I took the chance to step outside of my comfort zone and live in another country for a month (one that speaks an entirely different language at that).