UMW swimming thrives at mid-season meet despite on-going Goolrick pool renovations

by AMANDA SHEWARD

Senior Writer

From Nov. 22-24, the University of Mary Washington’s men’s and women’s swim teams had their mid-season meet at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. The women’s team placed first out of 13 collegiate teams, and the men’s team placed fifth out of 10. 

Due to the renovations happening in Goolrick pool, the swim team had to drive 20 minutes to practice. This affected practice times and disrupted the swimmer’s typical schedules compared to previous years, but given the results of the recent meet, these athletes have found a way to persevere.

“When we first got back to campus, not having our pool finished was hard on everyone,” said Grace Gartman, one of the assistant coaches. “Waking up at 4 a.m. to drive 20 minutes to rouse and not being in our pool is definitely a curveball. But, everyone has been putting up impressive times, they show up with great attitudes and are a team at the end of the day.”

The swim team has worked hard leading up to this meet despite the circumstances. According to freshman Spera Moy-Jacobs, the location change for practice has not affected overall performance. 

“The meet was really great,” she said. “Better than I could’ve expected for mid-season, especially with the pool renovations.” 

Even though such early renovations may be daunting to a freshman athlete like Nora McMullen, she believes that everyone having each other’s backs makes competing less demanding.

“This team has a lot of great people,” she said. “There isn’t a single person that I dislike and I believe that everyone on the team cares for one another. We all cheer for each other, and it is much easier to swim fast when people are cheering me on.”

For Ann Karr, a sophomore marketing major, seeing her teammates succeed is motivating and leads to a more familiar feel throughout the team.

“The team did really well, it was super encouraging to look around me and watch all my teammates swimming their bests,” she said. “This team feels like everyone’s always there for one another whenever needed. It’s such an open and welcoming place.” 

Between sessions, the swimmers have a few hours to catch up on some sleep before they race again for finals. McMullen stated that the rest was crucial for competing in the later races. 

“I definitely had enough rest during the swim meet. I think that while the meet did take a long time, I appreciated the rest they allotted to us. The energy was good and it was a lot more fun than meets for my club team.”

At each session, there were some college bests, season bests and personal bests. This is the first time in a while that the swim team was this strong this early in the season. 

“The team did really well,” said Moy-Jacobs. “There were lots of best times on both the men’s and women’s sides. My favorite part was getting to see everyone swim so well.” 

Senior elementary education major Bridget Wilson, one of the women’s team captains, was proud of her team for competing and besting, higher-ranked collegiate teams. 

“I was so proud of everyone for stepping up to the plate and putting their all into every race,” she said. “The women’s team did a phenomenal job earning a first-place finish against a DI and DII team.”

Despite the challenges of pool renovations and adjustments to their routine, the UMW’s swim teams displayed remarkable resilience and determination at their mid-season meet. The women’s team delivered an outstanding performance, earning first place, while the men’s team secured a solid fifth-place finish. Along the way, the swimmers achieved personal and season-best times and further strengthened their team bond. With a supportive atmosphere and a shared commitment to growth, both teams are demonstrating their strength early in the season. Their success at Franklin and Marshall College signals great potential for the remainder of the year.

Amanda Sheward is on the UMW women’s swim team roster for the 2024-2025 season.