In just four years, Whitman’s men’s swim team, dubbed “man swimming,” has nearly tripled in size.
Seven men were on the roster for the 2005/2006 season, compared to 22 this season. Four current seniors: swimmers Ysbrand Nusse, Noel Sollom-Brotherton, Max Hennings and manager Chance Gray –– swam as first-years four years ago.
“Because of the rules around scoring and entry limits, with a small team, we couldn’t even fill all the events in a dual meet,” said head swim coach Jenn Blomme, who has focused her recruiting efforts heavily on the men’s team.
Since a full roster is made up of around 20 men and 20 women, the men’s swim team has previously struggled to compete with larger teams in the conference. Due to rules which restrict the number of events in which a swimmer may participate, sometimes earning enough points to win a meet was impossible.
But despite their past difficulties, the men’s team has continued to improve and gain members. This year the men both outnumber the women’s team for the first time in history and sport a full roster. In 2005/2006, the men placed fifth in the conference, and the past two years have placed fourth.
“I think that we will definitely get third [at the conference championships],” said Nusse. “If people swim out of their minds, which is entirely possible, I think we could win.”
Nusse and the other senior men have been instrumental in developing the Whitman’s male swimming program.
“The men’s team structure, that [the seniors] helped to build when they were freshman, hasn’t just been contained in their own minds,” said junior Colin Gibson. “I think that it’s impressed everyone down to the freshman team.”
The Whitman swim team held its final home meet last Saturday, Jan. 31, and is now preparing for the conference championships which take place Feb. 13, 14 and 15 in Federal Way, Wash. The intensive training both necessitates and fosters the team’s cohesion, which is particularly important due to swimmers’ other commitments. Participation at the Division III level requires athletes to balance a rigorous training schedule with a similarly rigorous academic load.
“There’s a sense of shared burden,” said Gibson.
Although coaches like Blomme recruit students to contribute to their athletic programs, Whitman offers no athletic scholarships. Although this may pose recruitment difficulties, it ensures that Whitman swimmers are dedicated to their sport.
“This sport is too hard to just do because you have to,” said Blomme. “[Success] doesn’t come if you’re not having fun.”
From the veterans to the novices, the men’s swim team has carried their enjoyment of swimming through the seasons. The men’s history adds another motivation to train hard.
“Something about the men’s team’s history as not a really competitive force in the conference has given us a David and Goliath attitude,” said Gibson. “We feel like we’re fulfilling some sort of potential we’ve been prevented from fulfilling in the past.”
But in a week, the men who have nurtured the team’s growth for four years will swim their last collegiate race.”I’m definitely going to miss the team,” said Nusse. “The team has been my best friends and family while I’ve been here.”
