Swimming (men's) at Swarthmore?

<p>What's it like? How are the coaches? Being on the team? Facilities? Schedule? Is the team competitive within the league? How does it integrate with student life, studies, etc.? All you can tell re swimming at Swarthmore and academics and student life there in general, please!</p>

<p>What’s it like? How are the coaches? Being on the team? Facilities? Schedule? Is the team competitive within the league? How does it integrate with student life, studies, etc.? All you can tell re swimming at Swarthmore and academics and student life there in general, please!</p>

<p>Hi! Sorry for not seeing this until now. I am currently a sophomore on the team, and it is my favorite part of being at Swarthmore - we have a great team atmosphere and are extremely close to one another. Our head coach is Sue Davis, and she can be reached at <a href=“mailto:sdavis1@swarthmore.edu”>sdavis1@swarthmore.edu</a>. Sue has been at Swarthmore for years, and definitely knows what she is doing. She is aided by several assistant coaches, including the coach of Olympian Brendan Hansen. We swim in Ware Pool, which has ten 25 yard lanes. It isn’t the best pool I’ve ever swam in, but it’s pretty good. We begin captain’s practices as soon as the fall semester begins, and official practice begins about a month later. We have meets on Saturdays (plus a Wednesday here or there), with our conference championship in late February. Additionally, we go on a training trip for 10 days during winter break (this year we went to Puerto Rico, next year we are planning on going to Aruba). Swarthmore is definitely competitive in the Centennial Conference. Swarthmore men came in 5th this year (a bit of a disappointment, but we’re ready for a comeback next year), and the women came in 4th. Additionally, Swarthmore women won gold in 10 events, plus 3 silver medals. The men had one gold, one silver, and one bronze. Like any sport at Swarthmore (and probably any division three school), academics come first; that’s why you are here. The coaches understand that we have conflicts, and they are more than willing to be flexible. If you want more information, please contact Sue!</p>