Olivia Mittak
Sports Editor
College athletes have been forced to contend with many challenges in recent months, from cancelled games because of COVID-19 outbreaks, to the anxiety that comes with uncertainty. The College of Wooster’s swim and dive teams have continued to hold strong amidst these continuing issues, proving once again that they are a group of dedicated, reliable, scholarly athletes ready to take on whatever the world throws at them.
For Wooster’s swimmers and divers, the season opened up about as haphazardly as it did last semester. Students are facing another season of unknown challenges and changes that nobody would have anticipated a year ago. Practices continue to be defined by mask mandates, efforts to keep athletes in small groups or individually (when possible), and frequent testing. Wooster’s swimmers and divers know that they can’t anticipate the typical competitive environment they once enjoyed; teams are restricted to geographically-isolated regions for competitions due to current restrictions on student travel.
Despite this, Wooster’s swimming and diving teams have still found ways to keep the team’s competitive spirit alive and thriving. The very first competition held for the teams this semester was an inter-squad meet this past Saturday, Jan. 30, that promised to be both exciting and bittersweet. There is no denying the anticipation inherent in any first competition of the season. This meet was made particularly special by its status as senior day, granting athletes a chance to consider the end of college athletic careers for some, and the changing of team dynamics for all, that would occur this coming May.
Leah Jorn ’21 expressed that the meet managed to be a fun experience, despite feeling abnormal and the team not experiencing their best performance. Even considering the emotions a senior like Jorn must have been experiencing, nothing can quell the love that these athletes feel for their sport. Team dynamics still remain strong despite existing social distancing measures, with Jorn referring to her teammates as “the people [she loves].”
For Craig Klumpp ’21, Saturday’s meet was a mixed bag of emotions. He expressed that his team “did great keeping the energy high despite the lack of fans” and seemed pleased with his performance, but admitted that he wasn’t entirely happy with his situation. Klumpp said that he was “pretty bummed” that nobody in his family could attend the meet in-person, referencing current COVID-19 restrictions that limit or completely disallow in-person attendance at competitions. Nonetheless, Klumpp was relatively satisfied with knowing that his family was still watching over a livestream and expressed hope that this method of viewing competitions would stick around post-pandemic for family and friends unable to travel long distances for competitions.
On the academic side, Wooster’s swimmers and divers have certainly not been disappointing. Just after the end of winter break, the College announced that both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams had been named to the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America’s Scholar All-America team last semester. With over 450 institutions qualifying to some degree for this honor, Wooster was one of only seven to make the cut with both the men’s and women’s teams. The men’s team qualified with an average GPA of 3.5, while the women’s team made it in with a slightly higher 3.55 GPA. Teams must achieve an average 3.0 GPA to qualify for the honor.
Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, the College’s swimming and diving teams remain hopeful for further practice and competitions. If they continue the way they have been, the teams should have an amazing semester. The entire campus is hopeful that next fall will bring back normal conditions that include crowded competitions, traveling and being able to be with your teammates in whatever way you want, whenever you want.