Swimming and Diving Teams Start Strong

The Ball State Swimming and Diving teams kicked off their dual meet season with convincing victories over Eastern Illinois. The BSU women won nearly every event they competed in during the meet, taking the top spot in all but two events. The women also had numerous second and third place finishers. Likewise, the BSU men took first place in the majority of their events. The teams started their season at the Dennis Stark relays, held at Notre Dame University. The women placed third out of the six competing teams, the men second of five.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are very young this year. The men’s roster includes 10 freshmen and just three seniors, while the women have 11 freshmen and four seniors. 14 sophomore competitors dominate the men’s roster. The young athletes have stepped up in a big way already, proving they are capable of competing at the college level. Of all the individual BSU winners in the EIU meet, for both teams combined, only two were seniors, Addison Del Rio in the women’s 200-yard freestyle, and Valerie McGowen in the women’s one-meter and three-meter diving. Del Rio and Ryan Franklin were senior members of top finishing medley teams. Other seniors had strong efforts for the Cardinals as well. Four freshmen finished in top spots for Ball State, with many sophomores and juniors contributing to the winning effort.

The strong performance of the underclassmen bodes well for the Cardinals, not just for the remainder of the 2007-2008 season, but in future seasons as well. The youth of the teams provides the younger members opportunities to step into leadership roles early in their careers, giving them valuable experience for future seasons. Any time the younger members of a team can get leadership opportunities the team has the chance to grow stronger. The more diverse the leaders, the more of a chance that everyone will feel involved in the team.

The strong overall effort will need to continue for the Cardinals to emerge ahead of their MAC competition this season. In addition to their conference schedule, the teams will take part in the House of Champions Relay. The Cardinals’ non-conference schedule is capped by a home meet on December 8th against the Michigan State Spartans of the Big 10 conference. The women’s team will be idle until November 2nd, when they take on conference foe Toledo in a home meet at the Lewellen Aquatic Center. The men’s team will not see action again until November 10th when the Cardinals travel to Buffalo for another conference match-up.