Twenty-six. That’s the number of times freshman swimmers Caroline McTaggart and Emma Schanz have placed in the top three at UCLA swimming and diving’s five meets in the 2015-16 season.
Combined, these two swimmers and their relay team members have collected 10 first-place finishes, 10 second-place finishes and six third-place finishes. Schanz has been slightly more successful in the early-going, edging McTaggart 14 to 12 in overall top-three finishes.
“It’s pretty exciting (to win an event),” Schanz said. “The hard work shows off. It’s nice to see the results when you work so hard.”
The transition from high school to college has been relatively smooth both in and out of the pool for the swimmers. The freshmen said the team’s camaraderie has helped the two out-of-state students adjust to California, the rigors of Division I athletics and the difficulty of UCLA coursework.
Schanz was ranked as the No. 13 overall recruit in the United States and the top recruit from her home state of Washington. McTaggart, coming to UCLA from Maryland, was No. 15 in the country.
“We talked (today) about (putting the) team first, which is a lovely concept that we are learning both in and out of the pool,” McTaggart said. “We’ve had great team bonding. We’ve gone kayaking and rock climbing and it’s just really fun to hang out with everybody, to race together and to take classes together.”
Schanz echoed what McTaggart said, saying that she’s found the swimming team to be her niche.
“The atmosphere … is more team-cultured,” Schanz said. “These girls are becoming my best friends and it’s really nice to have that support group in and out of the pool. They’re there for you in these really hard sets and they’re also there for you in the classroom if you have any questions.”
Looking ahead in the season, both freshmen were humble, yet had optimistic goals for themselves and their team.
“(We) want to make NCAAs freshman year,” Schanz said. “This is a really good team and everyone is wanting to work hard and be the best they can be.”
Compiled by Brent Troop, Bruin Sports contributor.