Swimmers commit to new season

At their annual preseason retreat, the UCLA women’s swim team held a goals meeting.

They set what they call “smart” goals ““ ones that are obtainable and black and white. Either you complete them or you don’t.

And one of the team’s biggest goals was emphasized with a gift.

The gift was a T-shirt. It’s black with gold writing. On the front it reads “Bruin Pride.” On the back, there is only one word.

“Commit.”

“We said, “˜here’s our goals, commit to them, every day,'” senior sprinter Anna Poteete said of the shirt.

The goal meeting and the shirt seem to encapsulate what this UCLA swim team is about.

What the team may lack in raw talent, they make up for in work ethic. They take things one step at a time, one day at a time, and one race at a time. They set reasonable and obtainable goals and know they can only control themselves. They work to get better on both a team and individual level.

And that’s what matters to them ““ getting better each day. Sure they’d like a Pac-10 Championship or an NCAA title, but what they really want is improvement and commitment to hard work and the team.

“I think if we can see continual improvement every day, that’s really what I want,” swim coach Cyndi Gallagher said. “Get 1 percent better every day. Just to have the fire and excitement and fun of training hard and being proud of being part of this Bruin team. They have done that, there’s no doubt about it.

“I have no Olympians, I have no national team kids, but they work hard, and you can overcome a lot by hard work.”

The Bruin swimmers

The UCLA swimming and diving team comes into the season ranked No. 16 in the largely untested polls. Like most teams starting a new season, they lose some key swimmers and retain a core group of solid contributors.

The team lost five seniors to graduation, including the team’s lone Olympian, Nicolette Teo. But a solid group of four takes their place at the top, led by Poteete. Poteete capped off last year by setting a new school record in the 100 freestyle at the NCAA Championships, and was one of a handful of Bruins to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Poteete said she likes that the class is small and is happy that they have such a diverse group. While Poteete is a sprinter, fellow seniors Erin Frizzle and Madeleine Stanton are backstrokers, and Kristen Fischer swims distance.

“This year we have a really strong senior class,” Poteete said. “We all respect each other, and people respect us as leaders. We all bring something different to the table.”

One other bright spot for the Bruins is a sophomore class that brings loads of accolades to the table. The group of seven contributed a great deal to the team’s success in 2007, even as they were adjusting to the new world of college swimming. Six of the seven bring Olympic Trial experience back to the team.

“My class, we’re ready to step it up,” sophomore Lauren Hall said. “Freshman year, we didn’t know what we were doing really. Now I know everyone’s excited. We’ve done it once, so we’ve got experience.”

As to areas for improvement, Gallagher said that the team once again will need to find people that can step up and compete in relays. Winning relays win big points in meets and will be vital if the team hopes to compete with a loaded conference that includes No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 Arizona and No. 8 California.

“We need to find people to swim on relays,” Gallagher said. “Period. If we don’t find people to swim on relays, then we’re not going to be a very successful, point-wise team. We’re looking to find some people to swim on relays, and they will show up, because I believe in this team.”

The Bruin divers

The UCLA divers find themselves in an unusual situation. They return every single member of their 2007 squad, and the prospect of so much experience and talent excites dive coach Tom Stebbins.

“I couldn’t be happier about the group I have,” Stebbins said. “I’m very excited about what this year is going to bring. The team is really good. They’re a great group of student athletes. They’re diligent in their preparation.”

Among the returners are four seniors, two of which, Tess Schofield and Marisa Samaniego, have earned All-American honors.

Samaniego said that simply having seniors now will help the team develop its leadership dynamic.

“I think we have a very experienced team this year and four seniors, so I think the leadership will be a little bit better than last year when there were no seniors,” Samaniego said. “We’ll go into the meets knowing what to expect. I think the four seniors are all really excited about our last season and we’re going to give it our all.

“We’ve kind of seen it all by now. We’ve had the lowest lows and the highest highs, so it will be a little easier to get though everything.”

In addition to the seniors, the Bruins bring back two sophomores who contributed a great deal to the team last season. Stebbins said that both Laura Winn and Morgan Erpenbeck enjoyed very successful springs and summers, improving week to week.

And the final piece of the puzzle may come in the form of the team’s only freshman, Alyssa Robinson. Robinson sustained a minor ankle injury over the summer and as a result will not be able to compete early on. But Stebbins expects great things out of the first-year.

“Alyssa is, I would say, in the top three or four recruits I’ve ever signed here,” Stebbins said. “I have very, very high expectations for her in the coming years. She’s an incredibly competitive kid, and she loves to dive.

“If she gets healthy, she’s a threat immediately.”

The Bruins will kick off their season with a dual meet against University of San Diego at home on Saturday at 11 a.m.

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