TicketsFeb. 15, 2011
By Rachel Hundley
GoBEARCATS.com
The University of Cincinnati swimming team is not short on self-expectations when it comes to the 2011 BIG EAST Championships, Feb. 16-19 at the University of Louisville. Through all the training and meets of the 2010-11 season, the Bearcats have kept a steady focus on end-of-season success.
"Throughout this whole season, our target has been finishing strong, so we've been working on building the groundwork for championship results," UC swimming head coach Monty Hopkins said. "We'll get a chance in the BIG EAST (Championships) to see if our hard work in training and meets can produce championship results."
While not short on expectations, the Bearcats are also not lacking in energy and enthusiasm. Junior transfer Josefin Wede (Landskrona, Sweden/Gripenskolan/Auburn), who broke the UC school record in the 200 breastroke that has stood since 1987, stressed how eager she is to get in the pool.
"I'm extremely excited for BIG EAST (Championship). Since I'm a transfer, it's my first, so I cannot wait to get out there and swim," Wede said. "Looking back on the results from training last week, I think I'm prepared to do well. I've been resting, and I can really tell a difference in the way my stroke feels and the level of energy I have right now."
Wede has high hopes for the rest of her team, as well. She can see how the effects of training and hard work are transpiring into solid expectations.
"I think the team has a great chance to perform well as a whole. We have had a really good year of training," Wede said. "Considering the effort and dedication that this team has put in, we all deserve to perform on top this week."
Anticipation is high for the Bearcats as they get closer to the first day of BIG EAST Championship competition. Wede and her teammates continue to count down to the moment when they take the first leap into the pool and their desire and urge has never been stronger.
"When I see the energy and enthusiasm that my teammates have for the BIG EAST Championship, it makes me even surer that we're ready," Wede said. "We get each other pumped up and ready to race more and more with every day that goes by."
When the Bearcats hit the pool at Ralph W. Wright Natatorium, their minds will not only be on the immediate results of this year's BIG EAST Championship, they will also have their eyes on the future success of the program.
"The goal is to have our best ever BIG EAST Championship and qualify people to the NCAA Championships," Hopkins said. "After NCAA's are over, we want to get everyone back to training hard for the spring and summer meets, which is what it's going to take for us to continue to move up."