To throw someone into the deep end is to put someone in a situation without preparation. Today, the Southwestern Pirates swimming and diving teams will literally be diving into the deep end at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championships.
Though the Pirates take to competition like fish to water, it has been a year since Southwestern participated in a swim meet. The pandemic shut down the fall semester contests and cost the Pirates any tuneup meets heading into the conference championship.
Southwestern remains undeterred.
"This is a celebration for everyone making it through the fall semester leading up to now," head coach Jon Duncan said. "Everyone is excited to go to their first meet; it just happens to be the conference championships. I have no expectations, I just want them to have fun, and if they do, good things can happen."
The lack of tuneup meets is mitigated some by a talented senior class that has been preparing for this final meet their entire lives.
"It's definitely a special class. On the women's side, we have a record-holder swimmer and diver in Rehgan Hartsell and Kyla Gorman," Duncan said. "And on the men's side, you have a lot of key guys who helped us win the 2019 SCAC Championships for the first time in program history. I think there will be some special things happening."
On the wall in the Walzel Natatorium is a list of the school's record holders. Most of them are currently on these rosters, and many of those records were earned at the SCAC Championships.
Hartsell owns the women's records for the 200 Individual Medley (2:08.36), 100 Breaststroke (1:03.63), and 200 Breaststroke (2:19.85) and was a part of each of the five relay team records. She is a two-time SCAC Swimmer-of-the-Meet and has won the 100 and 200 Breastroke events in each of her previous three years.
Gorman set the 1 Metter 11 Dives record with a score of 362.50.
Junior Jesse Stovall has joined Hartsell in giving Southwestern two program cornerstones. Stovall owns the women's records in the 50 (23.59) and 100 (51.38) Freestyle, the 100 Butterfly (57.19), and all five relay teams. She has owned her events in the SCAC Championships, winning the individual championships in the 50 and 100 Freestyle in each of her two years competing. In 2019, she shared the SCAC Swimmer-of-the-Meet honors with Hartsell, and last year, she became the second All-American in program history, earning a spot in the NCAA Championships.
Keith Gill holds three men's records, including the 50 (20.64) and 100 (45.42) Freestyle, winning the individual championships in both events in 2019 and 2020. He is tied for the 100 Butterfly (50.15) and was also on the record-setting 400 Medley and 400 Free Relay teams.
Alek Argueta has owned the breaststroke events at the conference level in his time at Southwestern, winning the 100 Breaststroke in 2019, and is a three-time 200 Breaststroke champion. He owns the 200 Breastroke record.
Matthew Oeverman has multiple Second and Third Team All-SCAC performances and is the school record-holder in the 1,650 Freestyle (16:34.38).
"They spent a lot of time in the pool doing something they loved in a team setting. All the 6 a.m. workouts, the Saturday practices, the evenings, they made a huge commitment, and this week is just about putting some icing on the cake."
The team held a ceremony for its seniors earlier in the week, acknowledging their accomplishments one last time and letting them sign their names on the far-side wall, as has become the tradition.
With just a week remaining in their careers, there are still some opportunities to put a few more records on the wall and championships in the records. In a season where it's sink or swim for everyone, count on the Pirates to rise to the occasion.