USD Magazine, Summer 1997

Although they lost only two meets this year, several swimmers suffered through bouts with illness or injury, and credit the enthusiasm of their fellow swimmers with helping them bounce back. "We had many meetings as a team to talk about what we needed to do and how to do it," says freshman Courtney Coleman, who turned in record-setting finishes in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly at the PCSC championships. "It encouraged me to just go out there, do my best and keep trying." Coleman needed the encouragement after an early-season illness caused her to miss a meet against Northern Arizona University (NAU) in November. When she returned, the team called upon her to come through against top rival Fresno State. In the Jan. 8 contest, the Toreros finished only four points ahead, with Coleman's performance in the 200-yard individual medley and participation in the 200-yard medley relay, the last two events of the day, putting the team over the top. At the conference championships, held Feb. 13-15, the swimming and diving team got into another tough spot. Expecting to perform very well against their competition, the Toreros were surprised after the first day of the three-day meet to find themselves trailing Northern Arizona University. "We came in confident, but had a humbling experience the first day," recalls backstroker Heather Olsen, who says the team vowed in a meeting that night to come back strong in the morning. "The next day, we were right back at each other's lanes, cheering each other on and trying to give more encouragement than the other teams." The formula of hard work and support created the right potion for success. The Toreros pulled ahead on the second day and by the end of the meet were 120 points ahead of second-place finishers NAU, winning four of the final six events to cement the victory. Morgan, who this year convinced diver Pace and the record-breaking Coleman to choose USD instead of NAU, had taken the team to the top of the conference in just three years. Equally important, he says, was the reaction to the swimmers and divers on campus.

season, the swimmers and their coach have other goals as well. Some of them are very personal. "I actually broke the conference record in the 200-yard butterfly, but a swimmer from NAU was even faster so she gets to claim the record," says Coleman, then adds quietly, "Next year I'll get her.'' Despite their record-setting performances this year, the swimmers know they will have to shave even more precious time off their events to qualify for the NCAA champion– ships, second only to the Olympics in level of competition. To travel to the NCAAs, athletes must turn in a certified time dur– ing the season that meets the qualifying standards. In some events, Torero swim– mers missed the grade by a tenth of a sec– ond or less, something they keep in mind as they train for the 1997-98 season. Morgan is thinking about even more than that. "Of course we want to compete for a conference championship every year," says the coach. "But there is much more beyond that. We want to upgrade our competition and swim against schools like UCLA. We want to be a nationally ranked Top-25 team. Most important, we want to take this program to a high level of excellence and put it there to stay.'' Morgan, the other coaches and the team have laid the foundation upon which that excellence will be built. The foundation includes all the planning, the recruiting, the hard workouts, the long practices and the setbacks that must be overcome. The most important building block, however, is a love for the sport that shines through whenever the team members speak of swimming, and especially when they take to the water. "Swimming is a tough sport, so you have to love it completely to want to keep doing it," says Sides. "It can be frustrating and tiring, but the thrill of accomplishing something and knowing you worked hard to get there can't be matched.''

"We want to make swimming a premier sport at this university. One of our criteria was to put that first banner in the gym," Morgan says. "Another was gaining recog– nition for the swimmers and divers as athletes. Their performance this year earned them the respect of everyone at USD.'' Wait 'TII next Year (And Beyond) T hree months later, the swimming and diving team is still hard at work. The athletes are preparing for next season and aiming to keep the respect they've earned and gain some more. With no seniors on the team, almost every swimmer and diver will return next year, along with a new group of freshmen. Although they will concentrate on another championship

U S D

N E

1&

M A & A Z