Finals Week!

We're in the final week of the semester and as tests and papers are getting checked off of everyone's to-do list, the atmosphere at practice has high-energy and focused.  The volume of yardage we're doing is the highest it has been so far and the work ethic in practice hasn't waned at all.

After a very successful weekend at the Husky Invitational, we took a day off last Monday before cranking out six swim workouts and two weight workouts in four days last week.  The workload took a toll on everyone and we were able to get together on Saturday afternoon at Jenn's house to blow off some steam at the annual Holiday party.  We enjoyed some sweets, coffee and tea, and of course, the white elephant gift exchange.  Gifts this year included some awesome, historic Whitman Swimming swag, foot massaging slippers, and an assortment of other weird trinkets picked up at the local Goodwill for $5 or less.

With just a couple days before we head our separate ways for the well-deserved break from academics, the team has also managed to organize several bake sales and pictures with Santa and his reindeer (Kincaid Hoffman and Robby Dorn and Nick Wechter) over the past week.  The proceeds collected from their various fund raisers will be given to the local YMCA who will then pass it on to other community organizations in need of some extra support during the Holiday season.  For photos of Santa and his Reindeer, check out the Swimming Facebook Page.

We had a great first semester!  Three Whitman records and one NWC record broken so far, 3 NCAA provisional time standards met, lots of top-10 times, and an undefeated NWC dual meet record of 4-0 for both the Men's and Women's teams.  We couldn't be more proud of the character, intellect, and level of support that each of the student-athletes on the team demonstrates on a daily basis.

For now, so long and Happy Holidays from the entire Whitman Swim Team!  We'll be sure to post often while we're down in California for our training trip on starting on January 8th.

Husky Invite Recap

After a long three days in Federal Way, the team is back in Walla Walla taking a well earned day off.  Sunday morning brought more fast swims from the Whitman Men and Women.  Freshman swimmers Shanley Miller, Kincaid Hoffman, and Sean Terada both placed themselves into Whitman's top-10 with their performances in the 200 breaststroke, 200 backstroke, and 200 butterfly, respectively.  Tai Hallstein also moved up in Whitman's top-10 after nearly breaking her second school record of the meet with her 100 freestyle swim of 53.44, just .10 off the Whitman record.  Karl Mering achieved his second NCAA "B" time standard of the meet with his 200 butterfly time of 1:49.15.  Claire Collins also bettered her 200 breaststroke time and missed the "B" time standard by just over a second in her 200 breaststroke, going a 2:25.54.  Junior, Nic Win, also posted a season-best effort in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:57.35.  For full results, including relays and splits, be sure to visit the the live results page.

There are two factors that make a three day meet at this time of year difficult.  First and foremost, all of our student-athletes are entering into the final week of regularly scheduled classes of the semester.  That means that papers, tests, quizzes and projects that professors want done before finals week quickly pile up.  Leaving on Thursday afternoon last week, missing Friday classes, and then spending ten to twelve hours per day at the pool all weekend makes it a challenge for our swimmers stay ahead of the curve.  Academic challenges aren't foreign to Whitman student-athletes but being away from campus this time of year is certainly a unique and difficult.  Fortunately, both Whitman's academic policies and the swim team's culture combine to create an academically-focused group of swimmers who fully recognize that college is about education first.
The other challenge with traveling to such a big, fast meet at this time of year is that it poses something of a training catch-22.  Had we fully rested and tapered our team over the past two weeks to ensure that the fastest possible mid-season times were achieved by everyone, we would arrive back on the pool deck tomorrow with a low level of conditioning--effectively requiring that we use the next two weeks to rebuild the foundation of yardage and aerobic capacity that we had before the Thanksgiving break.  On the other hand, we could have trained straight through the weekend's meet, not resting at all, hoping that the high level of competition would be enough to bring out some fast swims, but all the while maintaining the level of training capacity and intensity that we had two weeks ago.  Instead of either of those, we split the difference and had hard practices last week on Monday and Tuesday, and then rested on Wednesday and Thursday.  It's not a perfect system.  Some of our swimmers found themselves feeling fresh and ready to rock all weekend.  Others didn't quite get there.  But, in the scope of the season as a whole, last weekend's meet--although it is very important--is not the most important meet of the year.  For those on the team who reached season-best times or NCAA "B" cuts, the meet is a huge motivator for training through the rest of the winter.  For those who didn't achieve any best times, they get to keep training hard knowing that in February when the time comes to rest for NWC Championships, everything will fall into place.

So, for the next two weeks we'll be back to work!  In both the pool and weight room, we'll continue to pile on yardage and intensity, all the while balancing the academic challenges that naturally arise at this time of year.  I can't wait!

Husky Invite, Day 2

It was another exciting day in Federal Way at the Husky Invitational!  Karl Mering took the spotlight today with two incredible swims.  First, he swam the first leg of the 800 free relay with a Whitman record setting 200 freestyle time of 1:40.11.  Then, in finals he lowered his Whitman and NWC record in the 100 butterfly with a second place effort of 48.29.  Mering placed 8th at the 2013 NCAA DIII National Championships.  The 2013 champion, MIT's Wyatt Ubellacker, graduated and Karl showed tonight that he is as ready as anyone in the Nation to take control of the event at this year's championships.

Other highlights of the night were the Men's and Women's 200 medley relays.  Whitman's Women placed higher than any other NWC team, 6th overall, with a time of 1:48.63, just .6 off the Whitman school record.  Seniors Claire Collins, Mel Notari, and Keller Hawkins combined with Fr, Tai Hallstein, for the relay.  Collins had the landmark swim of the race with her breaststroke split of 29.79, her fastest ever 50 breaststroke and her first time under 30 second barrier.  

The Men's 200 medley consisted of Nic Win, Nick Wechter, Karl Mering, and Sam Starr.  The men combined forces to place 11th with a season best 1:37.13.  Cole Weinstein was the first individual event finalist of the evening in the 400 IM.  His finals effort of 4:17.17 was good enough for 21st overall and his prelims swim of 4:16.92 places him solidly into Whitman's top-10 all time in the event.  Fellow freshman, Sean Terada, found himself in 32nd place in the Men's 100 fly finals after several higher seeds scratched from finals.  Sean swam a 53.03 and moved up to 31st.  His prelims time of 52.97 also earned him a place in Whitman's top-10.  

Claire Collins followed with a fantastic breaststroke.  She lowered her prelims time of 1:06.49 to 1:06.28 and earned herself 12th place overall.  Nic Win and Sam Starr each lowered their prelims swims in the 100 backstroke finals going 53.15 and 52.68, respectively.  Sam finished 11th, Nic 17th.

Other great swims today were Shanley Miller's season-best 4:46.39, which placed her into Whitman's top-10 list, and Mel Notari's 100 butterfly time of 58.98 which is her season-best time and her first sub 1:00 100 fly of the season.  

There were many, many more best times at today's meet.  For the full results, be sure to click through the live results page.  

We'll be back at the pool again tomorrow morning and then we'll be passing up finals and instead will head back to freezing cold Walla Walla (today's high was 12 with a windchill of as low as -6) for the final two weeks of the semester.  And, as tradition and popular demand dictates, we'll be watching the Holiday favorite, Love Actually, on the bus ride back home.  

Husky Invite Day 1

Time to update the records in the split notebook!

It was a great first day at the 2013 Husky Invitational!  The fast pool and stiff competition produced many of Whitman's fastest times so far this season.  After a couple of good relays to start things off this morning, things really started to heat up during the 500 freestyles.  Freshman Cole Weinstein cracked the 5 minute barrier for the first time this season with a 4:56, and Senior, Mel Notari swam to a season-best 5:30 in her 500 as well.  During the 200 IMs, freshman, Shanley Miller, and Sophomore, Elise Tinseth, both went season-best times in the event.  Senior, Claire Collins, followed their performance with a season-best of her own, laying down a very solid 2:12.50.  Nic Win followed up the women's performances with a season-best 1:59 in his 200 IM.
By the time we arrived at the 50 freestyle, energy was high and times really dropped!  5 Whitman Women were under :26 in the event, including Tai Hallstein's record setting 24.23.  The men followed suit with season bests for several of our Men.
The Women closed out the morning session with two great relays, placing 16th and 44th.  Whitman's "A" relay was Seniors Keller Hawkins, Claire Collins, and Melanie Notari, and Tai Hallstein.  The "B" relay team was Freshman, Josie Furbershaw, Sophomores, Jo Brunner and Elise Tinseth, and Senior, Ellen Banks. Whitman Men's "B" relay also swam in the morning session and placed 25th overall.  Sophomores, Will Erickson and Robby Dorn teamed up with Junior, Dane Kawamoto, and fellow Sophomore, Loic McGivering for the relay.

In Finals, things got off to a very fast start with the men's 200 freestyle relay.  The Whitman record time of 1:25.07 looked feeble as the "A" relay team combined for a 1:25.79.  Sophomore, Loic McGivering led off, followed by Freshman, Sean Terada; Sam Starr was third and Karl Mering anchored the relay with a staggering 20.26 split.  Junior, Nic Win, had the first individual event final of the night in the 200 IM after several higher seeds scratched out of the finals.  Swimming in 32nd position, lane 8 in the "D" final, Nic went for it right out of the gate and led the race from the beginning and never let up.  He posted a 1:57.34, smashing his prelims swim of 1:59.72.  Tai Hallstein had the next individual event final.  She, too, swam in lane 8 but in the "B" final.  Her 10th place overall time of 24.17 lowered her school record in the event and inched her closer to the NCAA Provisional qualifying time of 23.89.  Sam Starr followed Tai's 50 with an outstanding race of his own, dropping .03 from prelims with a season-best 21.40 which was good enough for 14th overall.  The Men's 400 medley relay proved to be the highest placing event of the day at 5th overall--no small feat in a field full of some of the best club swimmers in the country.  Their final time of 4:28.66 is currently the fastest in the NWC by over 2 seconds.

When one considers that we swam a double workout on Monday, swam and lifted weights on Tuesday, and then rested up on Wednesday and Thursday, the meet is off to a fantastic start!  We fully expect more great swims to come tomorrow and Sunday!  Keep checking the Facebook and Twitter for more info.  The meet is also published to Meet Mobile and the live results page is up and running.  Go Whitman!

Heading into Thanksgiving Break

After another successful weekend of swim meets, improving the team's record to 4-0, Whitman Swimming now embarks on an important week of training before heading into Thanksgiving break.  With no meets to prepare for this weekend, practices will be challenging to say the least.  Any good habits that fell by the wayside over the past two weeks will be re-solidified between now and our winter training trip in California.
Of course, with most of the team heading home this weekend for 7-8 days, a lot of the responsibility to maintain a high level of training lies with each individual athlete on the team.  Fortunately, the team is extremely dedicated to working through the "break."  The commitment that this year's team has to one another is truly inspiring.  There is no doubt that each athlete on the team will take full advantage of next week's opportunity have some much needed down-time from class work and use that mental break as an opportunity to refocus on swimming.

Though we won't have any NWC dual meets until January, December 6-8 is the Husky Invitational at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, WA.  Home to several US Open swim meets and NCAA DI Men's and Women's Championships, as well as the 2012 Olympic Trials for diving, the pool is truly world-class.  The pool is also the location of the NWC Championships on February 14-16, 2014.  The meet has the same order of events as our Conference Championships and is a great opportunity to post some fast swims with some great competition.  At last year's Husky Invite, Karl Mering posted an "A" qualifying standard in the 100 butterfly, punching his ticket to Nationals and lighting a fire under the rest of the team to stay motivated and train hard through December and January.  Similarly, last year, Claire Collins broke her own school record in the 200 breaststroke, posting an NCAA "B" time standard.

The meet is open to all club and college teams.  Club teams from the San Francisco bay area, Portland, Seattle, Montana, and Idaho all attend the meet, many using it as a Winter Championship.  On the college side, last year, Canadian powerhouses University of British Columbia and the University of Calgary came down and showed off some remarkable talent and depth.  Other college teams present were DII Grand Canyon University, Simon Fraser University, University of San Diego, and University of Alaska Anchorage, DI Oregon State University and Seattle University, and 5 other teams from the NWC.  Even though the top 32 qualifiers in each event make finals, with so many high-level club and collegiate teams present, making finals is no small feat.  For last year's results, click here.

Between now and the Husky Invite, keep checking the Facebook page and Twitter for updates and other fun stuff!

Hour of Power 2013

Last night, the Whitman Swim Team participated in the 8th annual Ted Mullen Hour of Power relay.  One of hundreds of other college, club and high school teams across the country to participate in the event, Whitman is is proud to be part of the event every year.  The event consists of an hour-long relay race in which each team is required to stay on the same 50 throughout.

Carleton College started the event after Ted Mullen, a Carleton swimmer, passed away after a  battle with Sarcoma cancer.  Andy Clark, the head coach at Carleton and a Whitman alum was on campus back in 2011 for a reunion weekend during which he met with the team to discuss the event's importance and the legacy left by Ted Mullen.

At Whitman, and at other college campus all across the country, mid-November is stress-filled and hectic.  Students are registering for next semester's classes, Fall semester classes are piling on the tests, papers, and group assignments, add in morning practices and away meets and this time of year can start to feel totally unrelenting.  Fortunately, it's not.  Taking an hour in the middle of the week to celebrate our health and our good fortune and the privilege of being students and athletes at such a remarkable institution is exactly what we needed.

We were back to the grind this morning at 6am but the celebration and the brief respite from the month's busy schedule were not forgotten.  Though no one was exactly refreshed this morning, moral was good and we're excited for some great home meets this weekend!

We take on Lewis & Clark on Friday at 6pm and Pacific University at 1pm on Saturday.  Pacific's women's team is coming off a big win against the University of Puget Sound last weekend.  It's sure to be an exciting meet!

Check out our new photos from this weekend in the Whitman Swimming 2013-2014 photo album!

Last Weekend's Meets and a Look Towards this Weekend

We got off to a great start at our first Northwest Conference Dual meets of the season!  Whitman's Men and Women defeated Linfield College and Willamette University easily last weekend.  Both days had some great races for our swimmers!  You can see full results and read a full recap of the weekend's swim meets here.

Though back-to-back weekends of away swim meets are a little wearing, we come away from the long bus rides and team meals a more cohesive and supportive team than we were just a couple weeks ago.  As much fun as it is to swim fast and rack up some solid victories, a big part of our away meets is what happens off the pool deck.

The closeness that our team has on and off the deck is thanks, in large part, to the traveling that we get to do as a team.  Where some college teams never have the experience of traveling more than an hour or two from campus, Whitman's swimmers get the experience of spending two whole days with each other every time we travel.  It might not sound like fun to spend 5 hours on a bus two days in a row--but our swimmers walk away from trips like these past two weekends having taking countless bad photos of one another, experimenting with new hairstyles, and, of course, eating a lot.  Ask any Whitman swimmer what parts of the season are the most fun and without a doubt, he or she will tell you it's all about the away meets and getting to spend time with the team.

This weekend, the level of competition gets cranked up a notch as we welcome the Lewis & Clark College and Pacific University teams to our only home meets of the season.  Whitman's women have a long history of doing battle with Lewis & Clark, two times coming in 4th place at the NWC Championships, finishing just 1 point behind L&C each year.  At last year's dual meets between Pacific and L&C, Whitman's women won, thanks to some outstanding breaststrokers and some killer free relays that neither team could match.  L&C graduated the reigning NWC Champion in the 100 freestyle after 2012-13 season but it will almost certainly remain a tight contest on Friday night.  On Saturday afternoon, Pacific's Katie Porter will give Whitman Freshman, Tai Hallstein, a great contest in the sprint events.  Porter is the NWC Championship Meet record holder in both the 50 and 100 freestyle, at 23.58 and 52.06 respectively.  She is also the defending NWC Champion in the 100 butterfly.  At the 2012 Whitman vs. Pacific dual, Whitman needed to win the final freestyle relay in order to win the meet, which the Whitman women were able to do.  Saturday's meet is not one you'll want to miss!

For Whitman's Men, L&C should provide some excellent races.  Like last weekend's meet against Willamette, several of L&C's swimmers will go toe-to-toe with some of Whitman's swimmers.  Historically, however, the Whitman Men have been able to handle what L&C brings to the table.  Saturday's meet against Pacific should be extremely exciting!  Pacific's Michael Hargitt, a Senior this year, is the reigning NWC Champion in both the 200 IM and 200 breaststroke.  He was also runner up in the the 400 IM at last year's NWC Championships.  Combined with some other solid swimmers on the team, Hargitt and the Pacific Men and Whitman's Men should have a close and exciting meet!

Friday's meet against Lewis & Clark starts at 6pm at Harvey Pool, Saturday against Pacific at 1pm.  See you at the pool!

Alumni Meet and Parents' Weekend

Last weekend was the annual Whitman Swimming alumni meet and Parents' Weekend.  As usual, we had a great turnout!  Parents of swimmers from all different class years were present at the reception on Friday evening.  Then, on Saturday, over 20 alums from as far back as the class of 1994 donned their swimwear first thing in the morning for some "racing."  There was a great crowd of parents, friends, and family to watch the Whitman Swim Team in action for the first time this season--even though the alums turned 50's into 2 x 25 relays and used fins for just about every race, breaststroke included.  All the same, it was a ton of fun and great first meet of the season!  Many of our current swimmers put together some great swims.  Pictures from the meet will be posted on the Whitman Swimming Facebook page.

Friday evening's reception was a great opportunity to meet and greet all of the new Whitman Swimming families, as well as welcome back all of our returning Whitman Swimming parents and family members.  It was also a chance for our parents to get to meet the team and hear from some of our swimmers about their experiences.  In case you missed it, below are videos of Junior, Dane Kawamoto, and Senior, Keller Hawkins, sharing some thoughts about what the Whitman Swim Team means for each of them and how important our California training trip in January is for the team.

                                          


Saturday's swim meet was followed by lunch outside in the sun on a beautiful fall day in Walla Walla.  As swimmers, alumni, and family and friends all ate lunch and socialized, some old panels from the record board were on display.  For a few of our swimming alums, it was a chance to gather up their old records and take home their own slice of Whitman Swimming History.  Below are some photos of past and present record holders.  More photos of the alumni are on the Facebook page.

Nathan Engman (class of '96) collects his now broken 200 Freestyle and 400 Freestyle Relay records.  Both records have been broken in each of the last 2 seasons. 

Erin Pettersen (left, '08) holds her old 100 Butterfly record, now held by Katie Chapman (right, '13)

On Saturday evening it was time for dinner and wine at Jamie Kennedy's house!  Jamie and his wife Becky (both members of the class of '96) hosted the alums for a feast of smoked chicken, pasta with homemade sauce from Jamie's garden, and plenty of local wine.  It was--according to several alums--worth the trip just for Jamie's food and hospitality!

The Kennedy's also had up a great display of swimming photos from the Whitman Athletics archives, dating all the way back to the mid-1990's.  The photos can be viewed on the team's Facebook page.

Jamie's smoker loaded up with 8 chickens.  What a great night of food and friends!

Half Marathon Weekend

Tazi, Calire, and Teylor after the race

For the second year in a row, three Whitman swimmers took part in the Walla Walla half marathon and 10k run.  It was a beautiful fall day for a running race, with sunny skies and cool temperatures.  Senior, All-American, Claire Collins completed the half marathon for the second year in a row, this time with her Dad, Mike.  They crossed the finish line together in 2:06, personal bests for both of them.

Sophomores, Teylor Greff and Tazi Flory both took on the 10k.  Teylor's dad was in town for the race weekend as well, competing in the marathon.

Claire, and her Dad, Mike, just a few minutes from finishing the half marathon

Technique Week

Last week was all about swimming well.  We believe that fast swimming comes from sound stroke mechanics and self-aware swimmers.  We want our swimmers to train well, not just train a lot.

Throughout last week, we focused exclusively on the quality with which we were swimming.  Rather than worry about speed or yardage, we all focused in on the tiny details that allow us to swim fast and train at a high volume down the road.  We spent an entire 2 hour practice on each of the four strokes, plus a practice on turns, and, finally, a practice that pieced everything together.  After going through drills and beautiful, slow swimming in the pool, we transitioned to the weight room for a major increase in intensity.  The conditioning we missed in the water we made up for in the weight room!

Now that the team is swimming beautifully, we'll slowly start cranking up the intensity.  It's not just practice that makes perfect--good, intentional practice makes perfect!

Here's to a great 2013-14 season!  And here's to being the best technical swimmers around!

Focusing on breath-timing and high-elbow catch in Butterfly

First Day 2013-2014!

The pool is full of Whitman swimmers again!

We officially began the 2013-2014 season this afternoon!  It was great to see everyone back in the water together--and it was fantastic to welcome all of our new swimmers as well!  Just like last season, the 2013-2014 season is sure to be full of fast swimming, close meets, and, of course, all the antics and shenanigans that we have come to expect from the Whitman Swimmers.  Check in with the blog, Facebook page, and Twitter to keep in touch with us as we get rolling.  

Pre-swimming shoulder warm-ups

Here's to a great 2013-2014 season!

1000 Burpees

Last Friday, Juniors Nic Win and Karl Mering embarked on a mission to complete 1000 burpees.  A burpee consists of a pushup followed immediately by standing and going into a squat jump.  Nic previously completed 500 burpees in a solo effort back in July, which took him just over 47 minutes.  This time, Nic and Karl teamed up to attempt 1000.

Nic started out doing 13 burpees every 45 seconds, taking roughly 15 seconds of rest between sets.  After his first 500, he backed off to 10 every minute for the remainder of the 1000.  Karl started out with Nic, but he couldn't quite match Nic's pace and he got into a groove doing 10 per minute early on.  Karl decided to to tap out after 500 burpees.  Karl, unlike Nic, hadn't been working towards 1000 all summer.  Still, Karl's accomplishment is very impressive number all the same.  His willingness to jump into such an ambitious endeavor without having prepared to the same extent as Nic is a shining example of how dedicated this team is to one another.

Nic carried on, doing 10 every minute on the minute, earning 15-20 seconds of rest after each set.  He was joined by some other teammates (and an assistant coach) for the final 350 of his monumental challenge.  After almost exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes, he reached 1000.

Nic rested up for an hour or so and then led the team's final captain's practice of the season.  Karl and Nic's dedication to self-improvement and their willingness to push themselves in new ways is nothing less than inspiring for the rest of the men and women on our team.  It's going to be an incredible year for Whitman Swimming!

Karl and Nic, mid-set

Nic after all 1000!

Opening Week

It's opening week at Whitman and campus has sprung back to life.  After a quiet summer, it's great to see all of our returners and it's awesome to welcome in the class of 2017!

The weather has been ideal and the atmosphere around campus is full of life again.  Classes begin for the 2013-2014 academic year on Tuesday.  Although the swimming season does not officially begin until September 23rd, the captains (Ellen Banks and Melanie Notari for the Women, and Nic Win and Sam Starr for the Men) have been gearing up to hold optional, unofficial workouts to get to know the new swimmers and make sure everyone has a chance to hop in the pool as a team before things get underway.

As the season gets started, be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (@WhitmanSwimming) for all all sorts of Whitman Swimming news and other info.  As new blog posts are added, links will be posted to the Facebook page and Twitter.

The class of 2017 getting dinner outside Reid Campus Center

2013-2014 NCAA Time Standards Announced

Last week, the 2014 NCAA DIII Swimming Qualifying Times were announced.  This latest revision of the time standards brought significant changes to the Automatic ("A") time standards, elimination of "A" time standards for relays, and slight changes to "B" time standards.

The 2014 automatic time standards were calculated by taking the average time of the previous three year's 1st place finishers.  The result: dramatically faster automatic time standards in every individual event. 

After the 2012-2013 season, where over 20 men met or exceeded the "A" qualifying standard in the 100 butterfly, it was clear that a change would be coming for next season.  The drastic lowering of the automatic time qualifications in individual events essentially ensures that a repeat of last year's abundance of "A" qualifiers will never happen again.  In fact, given how fast the 2014 time standards are, it wouldn't be surprising to see no one meet the "A" cut during mid-season or even Conference Championship meets.  For example, the Women's 50 freestyle automatic cut was 23.35 in 2013.  In 2014, the automatic time standard is 22.91.  You can compare this year and last year by clicking here for 2013 standards, and here for 2014 standards.

The other major change is that in 2014, there will be no automatic qualifying standards for relays.  Because the NCAA selection process takes the top 16 times in each relay, the NCAA committee has decided that simply having a "B" standard and then taking the fastest 16 teams under that standard is sufficient. 

"B" time standards usually change slightly from year to year and 2014 is no different.  The "B" cuts for 2014 align themselves quite well with what one might have predicted after 2013.  

What do these changes mean?  Surprisingly, very little.  The selection process for the meet remains the same.  The only major difference is that there is  almost no chance of any particular event having more than a small handful of automatic qualifiers--and, obviously, there will be no automatic qualifiers in relays.  However, eliminating the possibility that any particular event is drastically over-qualified enables the number of swimmers selected into other events to rise.

What's Happening on Campus this Summer

This summer, Whitman is undergoing two major construction projects.  

Our tennis courts are being torn out and two more courts are being added, bringing the total number of outdoor courts to six.  Having six courts at one location is the minimum requirement for hosting a National level tournament.  Although there has been some controversy over the fact that three trees had to be removed for the project, the end result will be an awesome facility for two of Whitman's most decorated and competitive teams.  You can read more about the new courts and see a rendering of what the new facility will look like at Jeff Northam's (Whitman Men's Tennis Coach) blog.

The courts, looking towards the library

The courts, looking towards Maxey Hall

The other major summer project is the remodel of the Memorial Building.  Though Memorial ("Mem") is not home to many academic courses, Mem is home to Whitman's offices of Development, Business, Residence Life, Off-campus Study, and many more.  Mem is where our esteemed volunteer assistant coach, Jamie Kennedy, has his office.

Mem was originally built in 1899 with a $50,000 gift.  The Memorial Building was named to honor Dr. Marcus and Narcissa Prentiss Whitman.  The building underwent a significant seismic upgrade to its foundation and the clock tower in the summer of 2010, but this is the first time--at least as far as Jamie knows--that the entire inside of the building has been remodeled.  The main entryways are first on the docket and then the remodel process will continue to move office to office until the whole building has been completely overhauled.  The project is scheduled to conclude in early September. 

The second floor foyer in Mem

What's Next for our Seniors?

As we congratulate the class of 2013, we wish them the best of luck as they leave Whitman and continue their pursuits elsewhere!

Kevin Dyer: English Major; Carson City, Nevada.  Kevin is neck-deep in the job search, trying to find a position in Admissions at a college in the Northwest.  He and his Fiance, Brianna-- another 2013 Whitman grad--are getting married this summer.

Paul Chang: Chemistry Major; Carson City, Nevada.  Paul will spend next year working for a non-profit clinic while he applies to Medical School.

Tyler Hurlburt: Chemistry Major; Walla Walla, Washington.  Tyler will be starting to work on his PhD in Physical Chemistry at UC Berkeley next September.

Andrew Roehrig: Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology; Redmond, Washington.  Andrew is going to spend next year working for PATH, a Gates Foundation-funded health technologies nonprofit, while he continues the Medical School application process.

Galen Sollom-Brotherton: Studio Art and Art History Major; Dublin, California.  Galen transferred to Whitman as a Sophomore academically and a Junior in swimming eligibility and will be graduating from Whitman next year. 

Libby Arnosti: Environmental-Studies/Humanities Major; St. Paul, Minnesota.  Libby is sticking around Walla Walla next year and will be working as the Whitman Varsity Athletics Social Media and Electronic Communications Intern.  

Sara Behrens: Biology Major; Seattle, Washington.  Sara is planning on working in either a hospital or physical therapy practice while she applies for Physical Therapy school next year.
 

Katie Chapman: Geology Major; Kirkland, Washington.  Katie has an internship with the United States Geological Survey in Palo Alto, California, working at the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth.

Cari Cortez: Politics/Environmental Studies Major; Moses Lake, Washington.   Cari is returning to Moses lake for the summer and is looking for a job in economics or law.

Charlotte Graham: Biology Major; Mercer Island, Washington.  Charlotte is hoping to find a job working in Japan doing something in the biology field.

Helen Jenne: Math and Psychology Major; Shoreline, Washington.  Helen is studying math in Budapest, Hungary, next fall through spring.  She plans on applying to PhD programs in math while she is abroad.

Erin Kiskaddon: Biology Major; Richmond, California.  Erin is going to be working for a biologist next year, helping him write a book about the behavior of marine animals.  

Genay Pilarowski: Biology Major; Arcata, California.  Genay will be moving to Baltimore at the end of August where she will be starting to work towards her PhD in Human Genetics at Johns Hopkins  School of Medicine.

Rebecca Ryle: Math/Economics Major; Santa Cruz, California.  Rebecca is planning on moving back to Santa Cruz where she is hoping to find a job working in the financial sector.   

The Seniors at the 2013 Awards Banquet.  Congratulations!

The Class of 2013

In September, 2009, we welcomed 14 additions to the Whitman Swim Team.  Now, four seasons and countless hours of schoolwork later, we will watch on Sunday as the class of 2013 walks across the stage to receive their diplomas and officially become Whitman Swimming Alums--thus entitling them to the use of fins, paddles, early take-offs, mid-pool flip turns, and any other means of cheating in which they feel like engaging in at next October's alumni meet.  There is no question that without this class of swimmers Whitman would not be the team it is today.  Their impact and legacy will live on for years to come.

Here is an overview of all the individual record-breaking performances from the class of 2013 over the years:

• In 2010, Freshman Kevin Dyer broke school records in the 500 freestyle with his time of 4:42.42 and the 1000 freestyle with his time of 10:03.46.
• At the 2011 NWC Championships, the class of 2013 was responsible for 7 more individual school records: Katie Chapman won the 100 fly with a 57.44 and won the 200 IM in 2:09.79.  Katie also won the 200 butterfly at the 2011 NWC Championships and ranks 2nd all-time at Whitman in 200 IM and 200 fly, and still holds the school record in the 100 fly.  She was the NWC Championships Swimmer of the Meet in 2011. Paul Chang was second in the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the NWC Championships with school record times of 58.54 and 2:08.76;  Kevin Dyer lowered his records in the 500 and 1000 freestyle to 4:42.37 and 10:03.38; he also set a new school record in the 1650 with a 16:37.22.
• At the 2012 NWC Champs, Paul Chang lowered his school records in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, getting second in both, with times of 58.20 and 2:06.82. Genay Pilarowski set a school record in the 100 breaststroke with a third-place effort of 1:06.61. Helen Jenne reset school records in two sprint freestyle events with times of 24.41 in the 50 and 53.31 in the 100 freestyle.  Galen Sollom-Brotherton also joined the team in the 2011-2012 season and set school records in the 500 freestyle (4:30.02), 1000 freestyle (9:28.24), 1650 freestyle (15:35.53) and 400 IM (3:59.24).  He won the 500, 400 IM and 1650 at the 2012 NWC Champs and qualified for NCAA DIII Nationals.  He was the 2012 NWC Swimmer of the Meet.  Galen placed 10th in the 500 freestyle and 8th in the 1650 freestyle at the 2012 NCAA DIII National Championships.
• Finally, in 2013 at the NWC Championships, Paul Chang lowered his breaststroke records yet again, achieving NCAA B cuts in both and winning an NWC Title in 100 with times of 57.53 in the 100 and 2:06.36 in the 200.  Genay Pilarowski also achieved an NCAA B cut in the 200 breaststroke and ranks second all-time at Whitman in the event with her time of 2:24.04.  Galen reset his own school records in the 500 (4:27.47), 1000 (9:21.73), and 1650 freestyle (15:34.00).  He also set a school record in the 200 freestyle (1:40.88).  Galen placed 2nd in the 500 freestyle at the NCAA DIII National Championships, and 7th in the 1650.  

On top of these fantastic individual achievements, the class of 2013 was hugely important in continuing to improve upon the values that Whitman Swimming holds so dearly: hard-work, being good teammates, and always striving to improve without losing touch of how fun it is to swim.  Put simply, they kept Swim Team Love going strong.  

We will miss each of our graduating seniors dearly as we move into the 2013-2014 season but we wish them all the best and can't wait to see them at the alumni meet next October!  Congratulations class of 2013!

Awards Banquet

Yesterday was the 2013 Varsity Athletics Banquet and Swimming Banquet.  Before we joined the rest of Whitman's Varsity Athletic teams in for a celebration of the accomplishments of Whitman Athletics in the past season, we gathered at the pool to sign all of our broken records and then had our own dinner and awards banquet. 

Here are pictures of many of this year's record breakers holding their broken records

Elise Tinseth ('16) holding the 400 IM record, the oldest record broken last season

Cameo Hlebasko ('16) broke the 200 backstroke record

Nic Win ('15) broke the 200 IM and 200 Backstroke records

Paul Chang ('13) beat his own records in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke

Karl Mering ('15) broke all four of last season's records: 100 and 200 fly, 50 and 100 free

Galen Sollom-Brotherton ('15) set four records as well: 200, 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyle

Sam Starr ('16) beat Kevin O'leary ('15) in the 100 backstroke this year

The Men's 400 Freestyle Relay broke a school and NWC record

The Men's 400 Medley Relay

Claire Collins ('14) with her three records: 100 and 200 breaststroke and 200 IM

The Women's 800 Freestyle Relay team

The Women's 400 Medley Relay team

The team looking their best before the Varsity Athletics Banquet

Team-Nominated Awards

The following awards were voted on by our swimmers

Most Inspirational: This award goes to the man and woman who inspire all of us to challenge ourselves no matter what adversity we might face.  The winners were: Ellen Banks and Keller Hawkins; and Tyler Hurlburt.

Most Improved: Tazi Flory; and Robby Dorn and Loic McGiverin.  Tazi stepped up in a big way this season as she was called upon to swim just about every event, including the 1650 at the NWC Championships.  Robby had never swam a 200 breaststroke before this season and then he got 5th at the NWC Championships and ranks 4th all-time at Whitman.  Loic made HUGE gains in the sprint freestyle events this year.  He's going to be a NWC title threat in the future...

STL Superstar: This award goes to the swimmer with the most Swim Team Love, the person who never stops cheering no matter what.  This year's winners were Rachael Barton and Colin Orr.

Land Shark: Given in recognition of commitment, intensity, and focus during dryland training.  This year's winners were Charlotte Graham, and Tyler Hurlburt.

Workout Warrior: These individuals gave everything they had at each practice, regardless of how tired, sore, or overwhelmed they were with academics.  This year's winners were Nic Win and Helen Jenne.

New Missionary: This award goes to the first-year Man and Woman who represent the values that Whitman Swimming is all about: hard-work, dedication, respect, sportsmanship, and a burning desire to get faster.  This year's winners were Robby Dorn and Kendra Clinton.

MVP: More than just swimming, the Most Valuable Player is a model student-athlete and teammate.  This year's winners were Claire Collins and Karl Mering. 

Coach's Award

The Coach's Award goes to the Man and Woman who work hard every day to make themselves the best that they can be and to make the team the best that it can be.  They are accountable, hard-working individuals who are reliably great teammates and who always lead by example.

This years winners: Nic Win and Jennifer Tornay

Varsity Athletics Awards

Each year, the Athletic Department nominates and votes for "Most Outstanding Performer" awards for each class year.  This year, six of our swimmers were nominated for MOP awards, and four of them won: 

Elise Tinseth: Most Outstanding Freshman Female Performer

Sam Starr: Most Outstanding Freshman Male Performer

Karl Mering: Most Outstanding Sophomore Male Performer

Galen Sollom-Brotherton: Most Outstanding Senior Male Performer

The Athletic Department also nominates and votes for a Senior Man and Woman who they feel best represent what it means to be a student-athlete at Whitman College.  The names of recipients of the award, titled the Borleske Award, are etched onto a trophy in the Whitman Athletics Hall of Fame in Sherwood Athletic Center. The last male swimmer to receive this award was Clint Collier in 2008.  This year, we are proud to say that our own Senior, Kevin Dyer, is the recipient of the Borleske Award. 

Though not everyone on our team was recognized at last night's events, everyone on our team did a fantastic job this season.  I can't say how proud I am to be associated with this group of individuals.  This was without a doubt the most successful Whitman Swimming has ever been.  Thank you to everyone on the team for making my job so rewarding and fun; to Jamie, Robert, and Hise for being the extra coaches we so often need.  Without you three, we wouldn't have achieved what we did this year.  To our Whitman Swimming Parents--past and present--for your unceasing support and passion for this team.  To all of our Alumni for laying the groundwork for what happened this year; and to all the other fans of Whitman Swimming who helped make this season such a huge success!

Looking Forward

At the NCAA Men's DI National Championships, a breaststroker from the University of Arizona swam a 100 breaststroke in 49.56 as part of his team's National Champion 400 medley relay.  The day before, a swimmer from USC split a 17.86 in a 50 freestyle as the third leg of his team's 200 freestyle relay. 

Swims like these provoke two responses: awe and inspiration; and hopelessness.

As much as I don't like to admit it as a coach, the next groundbreaking swim (I'm guessing for the Men that means cracking :40 in the 100 freestyle, or 1:30 in the 200 freestyle and for the women, breaking 1:40 in the 200 freestyle or 4:30 in the 500 freestyle) is not going to belong to a swimming on our team.  I wish that it would!  But unfortunately, as many talented and hard working people as we have on our team, none of them are going to be setting world records in the pool.  NCAA DIII National records?  Definitely a possibility!  Even though we probably won't be the team shattering world records and sending people the Olympics, we can still think and work like a team that does and choose to be inspired to continue to strive towards more great things rather than losing hope. 

I believe that we have a good enough team to send at least 10 people to Nationals next year.  The work that is being put in right now by our swimmers in the pool and weight room in preparation for next year is truly exceptional.  The odds are good that we don't have any future Olympians on our team but it's not stopping any of our swimmers from thinking and working like world-class athletes.  It's impossible to predict what is in store for us next year but it's certain to be another record-breaking year full of surprising swims and unprecedented success.  I can't wait until September 23rd and the first day of the 2013-2014 swimming season!

Swim Lessons!

Every year, during the Walla Walla Public Schools' spring break, the Whitman Swim Team offers swim lessons to the general public.  The week of swim lessons is an opportunity for us to raise some funds to put towards our winter training trip and a chance for our swimmers to put their knowledge of the sport to good use and to gain some perspective.
In a sport that so often boils down to 100ths of a second and the details of hand-entry, head position, and body alignment, it's easy to forget that at some point all of us were being told by an exasperated swim instructor to put our face in the water.  All of our swimmers have moved past holding onto the wall with both hands and blowing bubbles under the water, but there's something unique and awesome about getting a five year old to have a break-through in freestyle by telling him or her to imagine that he/she is swimming in ice cream and that he/she has ice cream scoops for hands. 

Nationals Recap

The 2013 NCAA DIII Nationals came to a close this evening but not before our Whitman swimmers had one more swim each.  Karl started the morning off with a great effort in his 100 freestyle.  His time of 45.72 was was his second fastest of the year, just missing his Conference and school record swim from the NWC Championships of 45.46.  As was the trend this year, it took a very fast 45.08 to make the top 16 and a 44.81 to make the top 8.  Claire swam the 200 breaststroke this morning with a very good time of 2:22.10.  She swam a very strong race but didn't quite match her NWC Championship effort. 

Galen had yesterday off to rest and prepare for this afternoon's 1650 freestyle.  Galen's race came at the end of this final morning session.  The men and women with the top 8 entry times swam the race at the beginning of the evening session.  Two things became clear as Galen got underway in his race: he wasn't going to hold anything back, and he was going to have a race on his hands.  Galen and Stevens Institute's Wesley Elford were within three seconds of one another for the duration of the race.  Galen was out in 4:38.77 at the 500 mark, and a new school record 9:21.73 at the 1000.  Galen led the race until the final 150 yards when Elford took control, eventually winning the heat and placing 5th overall.  Even though Galen finished second in his heat, his final time of 15:34.00 was a lifetime best, school record and Northwest Conference record, and fast enough for 7th place overall and his second All-American Award of the meet. 

In the end, Whitman finished 17th in the Men's team score with 56 total points. The  University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, was 16th with 63.  On the Women's side, Claire Collins was responsible for the first points ever scored by a Whitman woman.  Her 5 points placed Whitman 47th in the team division, tied with the State University of New York, New Palz.

Here are the Quick Stats from the meet:

• 4 NCAA All-American awards, 2 for Karl and 2 for Galen, and one NCAA All-American Honable mention for Claire, the first All-American award for a Whitman women's swimmer
• Whitman's highest finish at an NCAA Swimming National Championship for our Men's team at 17th overall
• Whitman's first ever points scored by a woman swimmer from Claire's 12th place finish in the 100 breaststroke
• 4 more school records were broken, bringing the season total to 24
• Galen had the highest individual event finish in school history with his 2nd place effort of 4:27.47 in the 500 free
• Whitman set three new NWC records: Galen 500 free: 4:27.47; Karl 200 butterfly: 1:47.50; Galen 1650 free: 15:34.00

In the end, we had a phenomenal meet!  All of us are thrilled with the way things turned out.  We just wish that everyone could have been here with us for this awesome experience!  I feel extremely inspired by the experience and want nothing more than to give the rest of our Whitman swimmers the opportunity to compete at the National level.  Look out 2014 National Championships! 

Here are some photos form the day:

Jenn helping Claire with her cap before the 200 Breaststroke

Galen chilling before his 1650

Congratulations Galen, Claire, Jenn, and Karl

Galen getting his second All-American award

Day Three Recap

It was another exciting day in Texas!  Karl starting things off this morning with fantastic 200 butterfly to qualify him 5th for the finals of the event.  His prelims time of 1:48.37 lowered his own school and Conference record in the event.  Claire Collins then followed Karl's performance with an outstanding swim of her own, swimming a 1:04.87 to qualify her 14th for finals.

In finals, Karl put together a superb swim to get 3rd place overall with a time of 1:47.50 and lower his school and Conference record yet again!  In the prelims, Karl's first 100 split was 50.30, and his second 100, 58.07.  However, in finals, Karl led off with a more conservative first 100 yards, touching at 51.68 at the halfway point.  The energy he saved on the first half of the race turned into an explosive last 50 yards--the fastest final 50 yards in the top 8--that propelled Karl home with a 55.82 split on his second 100 yards, and ultimately a third place finish.  Karl also became an All-American for the second time this week.  His last 50 yards was foreshadowed by Galen's unbelievable come from behind finish in the 500 freestyle on Wednesday.  Galen's final 50 in the 500 was also the fastest in the top 8. 

Claire's final in the 100 breaststroke was also a come from behind effort!  After her great morning swim, Claire was fired up for finals!  And, just like Karl and Galen before her, she closed down the race with a phenomenal last 50 yards--tying the fastest split in her heat at 33.67--for a 1:04.57.  Her finals effort knocked another .3 off of her prelims swim and moved her from 14th to 12th place overall.  Her swim also made Claire the first Whitman woman to become an All-American Honorable Mention!  That's 4 All-American awards so far!

Galen had the day off today but will swim the 1650 tomorrow at the end of the morning session.  Galen is seeded 10th in the event and will be swimming in lane 5.  The top 8 qualifiers will swim at the beginning of the finals session and because the event is a timed final, meaning that it is only swum once by each athlete rather than prelims-finals format, it doesn't matter whether an athlete swims in the morning or evening.  Karl starts the morning off in the first event, the 100 freestyle.  Finally, Claire will swim the 200 breaststroke tomorrow as well. 

Prelims start at 10am central time!  Keep checking the Twitter @WhitmanSwimming for results!

Now here are some fun pictures from today!

Keller and Claire.  Thanks for the support Keller!

Karl getting his trophy!

Galen makes sure Karl gets dried off for his award

Claire and the scoreboard.  12th place!

Karl and Jenn celebrating All-American no. 2

Day Two!

Day two started off with a bang this morning when Karl Mering swam a 48.67 in the 100 butterfly, the 6th fastest time of the prelims session.  His finals effort of 48.70 earned him 8th place overall and his first All-American honor.  The 100 butterfly was sure to be one of the fastest events at the Championships this year, after 24 men met the "A" qualifying standard in the event.  MIT's Wyatt Ubellacker broke the DIII National Record in the event with his winning time of 47.41.  And all of this happened on Karl's 20th birthday!

Claire had the day off today and will compete in the 100 breaststroke tomorrow.  Galen swam in the 200 freestyle this morning as well but after two unbelievable 500 swims yesterday, he didn't make the top-16 in the event.  The Men's 200 freestyle was perhaps the deepest event of the day.  To qualify 16th took a 1:39.35; to qualify 8th, a 1:38.81.  Kenyon's Austin Caldwell won the event in 1:37.01, missing the National record by just .03.  Galen has the day off tomorrow and will compete in the 1650 at the end of the morning session on Saturday.  He is seeded 10th in the event. 

Karl's meet continues with the 200 butterfly tomorrow.  The 200 fly is the first event of the morning session which starts at 10am Central Time.  Claire's 100 breaststroke is the final individual event of the morning. 

The birthday boy and Claire share a moment this morning at prelims

Karl receiving his award for 8th place

Karl's birthday dinner at Chipotle!  He got to choose the restaurant and his parents, uncle, and cousin joined us with the cake

All-American Karl and Jenn after his 100 butterfly

Day One Recap

Day one is over and it was absolutely incredible!  After a fantastic morning swim to qualify 6th and lower his school record in the event, Galen came back this evening and laid down a picture perfect 500 in 4:27.47 that won him second place, lowered his school record and NWC record, and was his first lifetime best in the event since he was 17.  His second place effort in the event earned Whitman 17 points, placing Whitman 14th overall in the team standings after day one. 

Claire Collins also swam her first race of the meet this morning, swimming a great 200 IM.  Claire has tomorrow off before she swims the 100 breaststroke on Friday and the 200 breaststroke on Saturday.  Even though Claire wasn't swimming tonight, I think she was the most excited one!  She can't wait to swim on Friday!

Karl swims his first race tomorrow morning in the 100 butterfly.  He'll swim the 200 fly on Friday, and the 100 freestyle on Saturday.  Today, Karl counted for Galen's 500's and spent some time catching up on some reading when he wasn't cheering and watching races.  

Galen is still riding high from his swims today and he'll continue swimming tomorrow with the 200 freestyle before getting a rest-day on Friday before his 1650 at the end of Saturday's prelims session.

We're pumped up!  And as awesome as day one was, we think that there are still more incredible things coming up in this meet...

Jenn and I couldn't be more proud of our swimmers!  There may only be three Whitman swimmers in this meet, but the other 39 swimmers on the team--and the hundreds of other people connected to this team--continue to inspire all of us!  Thank you so much for the continued support.  Let's go Whitman! 

Karl doing some reading

Jenn and Galen with his 2nd place trophy!

Galen on the Podium!