While the entire school was on break, Lafayette swimming and diving have been training furiously in preparation for its spring season. Part of that preparation included a week-long trip to Plantation in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. where the team engaged in a rigorous training regimen.
“It’s just a training trip. All we did was wake up very early and go to swim practice, come back, sleep, eat lunch, then go to another swim practice,” sophomore Sean Robinson said. “The whole point of the trip is to whip our butts into gear after break.”
Before the break, the team had not swum competitively for over a month. This trip marks the midpoint of the season. Up ahead for the team are a flurry of smaller meets against non-rival schools before their last Patriot League meet tomorrow. The championships are in two weeks.
The week-long trip also serves as a time for the team to bond. The rigorous schedule brought the team closer together.
“When we’re there, we have to room with different people and had two team dinners cooked by the captains,” Robinson said. “It’s just a good time because you get to talk to people consistently that you haven’t talked to in a while.”
Having returned from the trip with renewed team chemistry and vigor, the team participated in two meets, one against Rider and the second against Mount Saint Mary’s. The women’s team impressed against Rider, winning six of the races and earning a final score of 160 to 126. The Lafayette men’s team could not replicate their success, coming up short to the Broncs.
However, both teams impressed in the second meet against Mount Saint Mary’s. The men won in a blowout, 175-94, while the women cruised to a 143-106 victory. Sophomore Maggie Ivie was a standout in both meets, winning almost every race she participated in.
Now the Leopards turn to Patriot League swimming as they compete for the last time in the regular season in a full league match at Bucknell this Saturday.
“This week is going to be a pretty rough week of training. Then we’ll ease into taper, which is when we rest more during practice so we can go all out during the meets,” Robinson said. “It will be fun, and I feel good about our chances.”
Should the team or any individuals perform well enough at the Patriot League Championship, their next stop would be at the NCAA national championships next month.
In addition to their improvements in the pool over the break, the team also improved out of it by signing 12 recruits, who look to continue Lafayette swimming and diving’s upward trajectory for many years to come.
