Following losses to Duquesne and LaSalle, the women’s swimming and diving team took to the pool against Cleveland State last Friday, hoping to secure its first victory of the year.
They did just that, as the Bonnies defeated the Vikings by a score of 147 to 83. Sophomore Tanja Kirmse continued her winning ways, taking first in the 200-yard butterfly and the 1000-yard freestyle. Seniors Rachel Bull and Meaghan McCann also won two events each. Bull placed first in the 200 and 500-yard freestyles, and McCann won the 50 and 100-yard freestyles.
McCann was pleased with the results of the meet.
“I’ve been a lot better this year, and getting the win as a team was inspiring,” McCann said. “After we won our first relay, the team picked up on the success and just went with it. We out-touched them, and we got going behind the blocks.”
Rookie coach Krista Carlson was also proud of her team.
“The girls swam really well, and they were ready for the meet. They swam fast, and they swam as a team,” Carlson said.
The Bonnies won 9 of the 10 swimming events, but Cleveland State won both the one-meter dive and the three-meter dive. Carlson, however, was not disappointed with her team’s performance off the board.
“You take the losses in stride,” McCann said. “[Freshman] Kessler [Thompson] is still learning. She’s doing well, and I was pleased with her performance. She gave a good effort. Cleveland State’s diver is just a lot more experienced.”
For Carlson, getting her first win as leader of the Bonnies was special.
“It was exciting,” Carlson said. “It definitely brings my confidence level up. It solidifies the tough training we’ve been doing, and it makes the girls realize why we’ve been doing it.”
However, even after a big win, Carlson still sees the need for improvement.
“Our turns and starts both have to be faster,” Carlson said. “The day that I watch a meet and think ‘Oh, everything’s perfect’ is the day I’ll have to resign because it’s never going to happen. There’s always something that you have to work on.”
According to her swimmers, Carlson’s dedication has been paying off.
“Practices have been a lot harder this year,” McCann said. “We’ve really worked on our endurance, and our pace times are getting a lot faster. My performances have gotten much better.”
The Bonnies will try to build off their success as they travel to Buffalo this weekend to take on Canisius. Although the team will continue to work hard going into the meet and will not be fully rested, the swimmers are optimistic.
“I think we’re going to have a really good meet,” McCann said. “We’ve had some tough practices, but we want to get the job done against Canisius. I think we can win”
Carlson agreed with her athlete.
“The Canisius meet is winnable, but it’s not something that we can fall back on,” Carlson said. “We still have to show up and swim well if we’re going to win.”
kibbeei14@bonaventure.edu
