The Hillsdale College swim team geared up for its first scrimmage at Jack McAvoy Natatorium on Saturday to prepare for the start of the 2015-2016 season.
The Blue and White scrimmage was a chance for the team to put themselves in a competitive atmosphere to get an indication of where they are before their first dual meet against Albion College on Oct. 9.
“It’s a chance to get people in the pool and see what point we are at in our training, and then also see what the freshmen’s times are,” head coach Kurt Kirner said. “The Blue and White scrimmage is an atmosphere where we can have some fun and give the girls opportunities to compete against each other without having to worry about beating someone from another team. I think it takes the pressure and edge off.”
Kirner was encouraged by the results of the scrimmage.
“I think we are ahead of last year. Overall, it seems every year we break records. I think this year we will definitely have the opportunity to do that again,” Kirner said.
The seven-deep senior class is expected to carry the team through the long season ahead, which finishes in March at the NCAA Division II National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“The senior class really focuses on creating an encouraging and fun atmosphere. I think that the scrimmage showed how positive our team is and how we can use that positivity to take us to the next level this year,” senior captain Zoe Hopkins said.
The Blue and White meet enabled the team to get into the ‘meet mindset’, and with the seniors’ experience behind them, the Chargers are able to see the progress they have made and where the freshman class can take the team this year.
“I really feel that this freshman class is strong and I’m excited to see how our team will improve over the year,” senior Alissa Jones said.
As a result of the graduation of All-American Rachel Kurtz, the team has gaps to fill in different events. The relays that require short distance swimmers will feel the loss of Kurtz the most, but the freshmen have promising futures.
“The five freshman that we brought in are actually from all over the globe. We have one from Iceland, Minnesota, Utah, Idaho, and Georgia. All of them certainly could be on that record board,” Kirner said.
Last year, the Chargers finished sixth in the GLIAC, but dominated in dual meet competition, finishing with a record of 10-4.
This year, hard work in and out of the pool is the sole factor that Kirner believes will create improvement that will ultimately lead to a successful record at the end of the season.
“I’m looking for a winning record. I’d like to move up from sixth place,” Kirner said, “But we aren’t thinking about that — we are thinking about what we can control. And that’s making the team better and breaking team records. That means that there is improvement,”
The Chargers’ first meet of the season is at home tomorrow against Albion College at 5 p.m.
