In the final event of the day and with the standings tied at 140 points per team, Agnes Koczo ’09 swam stroke for stroke against Bowdoin College’s anchor leg, her teammates roaring encouragement from the pool deck. Koczo swam a personal best 24.70 seconds in the final lap of the dramatic 200-yard freestyle relay that closed out Wesleyan’s tri-meet against Colby College and Bowdoin last Saturday, but was touched out by the Polar Bears’ swimmer by a .22 second margin. The Cards took third in the race and finished the meet with 144 points, behind both Bowdoin (153) and host Colby (175).
Despite the loss and an overall record of 5-7, head coach Mary Bolich continued to value all of the team’s successes as steps towards the fast-approaching postseason.
“To be able to go that fast in season bodes well for the upcoming championships,” Bolich said of Koczo’s performance.
The Cards had several strong performances at Colby, with Kate Krems ’08 taking first in the 100-yard butterfly and Caitlin Bethlahmy ’09 earning a victory in the 1000-yard freestyle. Additional support and points came from Cate Haring ’10, Amanda Shapiro ’08, Carly Bollinger ’09, and Koczo (whose relay split would have easily given her first in the 50-yard freestyle), Krems, and Bethlahmy again. The Cards’ diving squad recorded three top ten finishes—from Jessica Houghton ’08, Lauren Cruz ’09, and Kalen Flynn ’10—in the one-meter event, with Hougthon also claiming 3rd off the three-meter board.
According to Bethlahmy, Colby’s depth (they have a team of over 20 women) didn’t give the Cards much of a chance. The team was much more evenly matched against Bowdoin, tying the Polar Bears about halfway through the meet before picking it up for a finish that came down to the absolute last event.
“I think [the way we raced] sets us up to have a good championship season,” she said, echoing Bolich.
The team’s greatest struggle this season has been its lack of depth. The Cards count only 18 members and face strong competition from larger teams like Williams and Tufts (who beat the Cards earlier this month).
“[Lack of depth] limits my ability to be able to move them around in events. If we had more numbers and versatility I’d be able to be a little more flexible and to have more options,” Bolich said.
After a rash of sickness after winter training in Puerto Rico, both coaches and swimmers realize how important it is to have everybody in the pool.
“We’ve just been trying to get through illnesses and do our swimming sets,” said Koczo. “Usually there’s someone in your lane pushing you on but now you’re trying to get through it yourself.”
“The volume of sickness was significant; just getting everyone healthy is a big challenge,” added Bolich.
On Jan. 5th the team went to the Caribbean for intensive training, going through rotations of two days with double practices followed by one day of a single practice, with land workouts scattered throughout.
“As much energy as we had down there, when you come back you’re pretty exhausted,” said Koczo. “You’re stronger, but it’s hard to swim well when your body wants to be in recovery. You kind of go into survival mode: your body can react in a tired manner, or you can pick it up and swim strong.”
Bolich has started to bring down the intensity of practices, expecting that working so diligently during the season will pay off at the NESCAC championship races when muscles are recovered and spirits rejuvenated.
“As we get into what I like to call our home stretch, we’re starting to rest our bodies, reduce the workload, and get ready for some fast swimming,” Bolich said. “It’s hard to break them down and then begin to ease off—you really feel those differences physiologically—but I hope they start to feel a bit speedier and stronger.”
With one more meet to go before the finals in mid-February, focus has shifted towards arranging the details of the races and remaining in peak physical condition.
“We’re getting the rest we need and trying to figure out things like how we’re going to set up the relays and who’s going to anchor what, and working on technicalities like starts and turns,” Bethlahmy said. “It’s really the small things that matter in the end. Mary [Bolich] tells us that during the season, a lot of times you can show up to practice and more or less check out when you leave, but now we have to commit everything [to racing].”
Bolich, however, knows the team has already has scored at least one kind of victory: the women’s average GPA this past semester was 3.57, what she believes is one of the best in the country.
“That’s the epitome of being a student athlete: successful in the classroom and in the water. That’s really what it’s all about,” she said.
The last meet of the season, and the Cards’ first at home since early December, will be held this Saturday at the Freeman Natatorium against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
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