By Taylor Konyk
Elm Staff Writer
Senior day—the last big home race until champs. For most, senior day is an opportunity to swim hard in front of a large home crowd. For Spencer van Cise, Allison Kvien, and Sarah Sykes, senior day caps off a legacy they’d been building toward four years ago.
The Shoremen lost to Ursinus in a 96-109 nail-biter that came down to the final event. The Shorewomen lost by a slightly greater margin, 82-112.
The energy in the Casey Swim Center was unlike anything the Shoremen have seen this season.
“Obviously having a huge crowd is something that all swimmers love. It’s great to have that boost of enthusiasm present at the meet. It pushes all of us,” said freshmen Eric Burcin.
There were times when the crowd was dead silent—sitting anxiously, waiting for the race buzzer to start. Other times, the noise level could deafen. The race would be decided with the final two events, where the Shoremen were narrowly out touched. Freshman Lucas Morgan lost the 500 freestyle by less than a second.
Narrow defeats such as those allowed Washington College to stay competitive throughout the meet, but in the end they couldn’t muster enough points to win the meet. Unfortunately for the Shoremen, any hopes at a winning season are now dashed.
Despite the defeat, WC finished the meet with an extraordinary display of sportsmanship—cheering “UC” as Ursinus finished the day with a time trial. After the final relay, Ursinus had one last race against themselves, doing a time trial for the purpose of recording official meet times to submit to champs later this month. Though WC wasn’t in the water competing, they stole the spotlight with the chant “U… C…,” led by captain Robert Mix.
This display of sportsmanship underlines the true character of the swim team, both men and women. Though every swimmer is a competitor—hungry for the win and dying to out touch their opponent—WC never lost sight of his or her love of the sport.
Senior van Cise commented on his team’s performance from this season, and seasons past. “[This] team’s done a lot in a lot of different ways. We’ve been through a lot of changes over the years, but [despite that] we’ve all been able to remain close. It sucks to lose, but I couldn’t be prouder.”
Freshmen Charles Logan, who helped lead his relay to an outstanding victory in the 200 medley relay, commented on the leadership of van Cise. “He’s a great guy, and he’s really going to be missed. I personally wish him luck with everything he does,” he said.
Leaders like van Cise, Kvien, and Sykes will not easily be replaced, but their legacy has no doubt left an impact on the College Swimming Community. Though their senior day has come and gone, they still have time left to make one last statement in the conference. That statement, however, will be remembered long after this season.