By Taylor Konyk
Sports Editor
Last weekend, beginning on Friday Feb. 21, the Shoremen took to the pool to compete in their championship super-meet at Franklin and Marshall. Despite finishing fourth in the conference, the Shoremen earned 10 medals collectively and broke 10 Washington college records.
Champs marked the end of an epic, record-breaking season for the Shoremen.
When asked of his fondest memory of the season, sophomore Charles Logan said, “Definitely the meet when we beat Ursinus College. We were behind the entire meet and it came down to the final relay. When we our relay out-touched Ursinus by a fraction of a second, we all went nuts and my coach literally jumped into my arms with excitement. It was such a great day for the team and I’ll never forget the expressions on my teammate’s faces when we grabbed that victory.”
For seniors Danny Seidleck and Robert Mix, champs marked the end of their swimming careers.
Discussing his final moments on the pool deck, Mix said, “It was bizarre. I have been swimming competitively now since I was seven years old, so almost 15 years. To know that after the meet [it] was over… [and] I would never be swimming at this level [of] competition again is hard to process.”
As a team, the Shoremen have many good memories from the season to reflect on—including their performance at champs.
Freshman Brent Hochstein reeled in two individual gold medals in the 400 yard individual medley and 200 yard butterfly, earning a school record in the butterfly with 2:07.84.
Sophomore Eric Burcin would reach success, earning two bronze medals in the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke. Burcin famously stunned the conference last season with a 200 yard breaststroke performance that earned him gold.
Three Shoremen relays earned bronze medals, including the 200 yard medley relay, 400 yard medley relay, and 200 yard freestyle relay.
Despite their team finish, the Shoremen dropped significant amounts of time in their races. WC’s success all season long is a testament to how fast the Centennial Conference has become.
Captain Greg Lee said, “Fourth [place] does not do justice to how fast and talented the team is. Next year, we will send a full roster to champs and be competing as an older, smarter, and more experienced team.”
Understanding his team’s inexperience, Lee said, “I think they handled it very well. Everyone stepped up. These guys have all been in pressure situations before, but a college championship is something new. They didn’t even flinch and performed at their finest.”
All season the Shoremen have battled through adversity, riding success on the backs of incredible individual efforts.
“There is so much to be proud of. I think my proudest moment was when all four of the 200 butterfliers got in the top 16 at champs. It’s a ruthless event, and it’s on the third day of competition when everyone is exhausted. We had guys step up and perform very well,” said Lee.
“My fondest memory by far has just been the whole collection of memories that made up this season. This team is night and day from what I came into as a freshman. Just everyone’s dedication to the sport, while at the same time transcending any external social barriers that could keep the team from being as tight knit as we are is truly incredible. Beating F and M, Dickinson and Ursinus, all colleges that we haven’t beat in probably a combined 60 years, that’s something I’ll never forget as well,” said Mix.
Now that it’s over—after every race has been recorded—the 2013-14 Shoremen swim team will go down as one of the most dynamic teams in school history. Winning meets with strategy, Head Coach Kim Lessard set the precedent for years to come.
The Shoremen capped off a fantastic season, but the best days are still ahead of us.