Swim teams prepare for MWC meet on Saturday

With the end of the varsity swim season quickly approaching, the Lawrence Vikings have only the Midwest Conference Championships (MWCC) to prepare for. As they train for this competition, they hope to perform well in two categories.

“I think that swimming is an interesting sport in that we have goals [both] as individuals and as a team,” said sophomore Sarah Bonoff. Regarding the Lady Vikings team goals for the MWCC, Bonoff stated, “Last year the women’s team came in fourth, right behind Monmouth. This year we would really like to beat them and get that third place spot.”

Throughout the season, the men’s and women’s teams have seen different levels of success. The Lady Vikings have been able to capitalize on their potential and use a large senior class to their advantage. The women’s team was undefeated all the way through January and continues to be one of the most auspicious teams in the Midwest Conference (MWC).

The men’s team, however, has not experienced the same kind of success. The Vikings have only had twelve swimmers compete in each meet this season. Being such a small team, the men have not been able to register any wins as of yet. Additionally, six male swimmers and eight female swimmers will be graduating after this year. This will force the men to replace half of their team and, simultaneously, attempt to grow in size, as the women will try to replace a third of their own squad.

“We always hope to keep improving, so we’ll have to see who joins next season,” said Bonoff. “But it won’t be the same without our [current] seniors around. In the meantime, we’re just trying to focus on finishing the season strong.” Grinnell College will be hosting the MWCC Feb. 14-16.