Swim teams return from training trip

By Jessica Paulsen
Managing Editor

The Saint Mary’s University men’s and women’s swim teams came back from break and training to tough competition at home.

SMU hosted Carleton and Luther, two of the top teams in the area, on Jan. 10, and finished in third place.

“We knew we would be swimming against really good teams,” said senior men’s captain Eric Hills. “We didn’t even dream for a minute that we could beat either team.”

“We had just returned from our training trip in Hawaii,” coach Eric Lindquist said. “We trained really hard over there and came back pretty tired, pretty beat up.”

College teams traditionally take a training trip over the Christmas holiday.

“Coming back into that and trying to compete against two of the best teams in the area was a lot to handle,” said Lindquist.

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On Jan. 17, the Cardinals hosted Hamline, Saint Thomas and Augsburg, with both Cardinal teams finishing second.

“There were a number of excellent swims that day, though many swimmers are feeling the pains of training,” said Hills.

“That’s the beauty of swimming,” said Lindquist. “Team scores don’t always reflect what the individuals did.”

The meets are a good indication of how SMU will fare in future meets, including the MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) meet, Hills said.

“While we may not be able to match the strength of bigger teams, we definitely expect to turn a few heads this year at the MIAC meet this February,” said Hills. “Overall, I would say things are looking pretty good for Saint Mary’s Swimming.”