February 23, 2006
By Andrea Benda
Collegian Reporter

Breaking five Hillsdale records, the swim team placed fourth of nine teams in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship at Northern Michigan University Feb. 15 through 18.

“Although it was a long, hard, four days, it was very fun and very rewarding to see how this year’s training and taper paid off,” freshman Anne Verhoef said.

Junior Amanda Smith said she was very impressed by the team’s performance.

“The team did as well as I had hoped,” she said. “I knew that the practices would pay off in the end. The entire team had the heart and soul—our team word—to do as well as we did.”

Head coach Mary Anne Gerzanick agreed.

“It was the most fun I’ve had at a Conference meet,” she said. “The team had a great time, swam exceedingly well, and I think it was a very memorable time for all involved.”

The team broke school records in the 200-yard individual medley, the 200 freestyle, the 200 and 400 medley relays and the 400 freestyle relay.

Sophomore Tyler Patterson, who swam in the 400 freestyle relay, said she was most impressed by that event.

“It was at the end of a long, four-day meet,” she said. “We were all exhausted, and yet we broke the school record and finished third.”

Although no swimmers achieved National College Athletic Association A-cut times, which would qualify them for the NCAA meet in March, Smith, Patterson and Verhoef made NCAA B-cut times.

Twenty-two swimmers ranked in the top 16 in their races, and there were 42 lifetime best swims at the meet.

According to Patterson, the team had some disadvantages going into the competition. The Chargers lacked a men’s team, divers and seniors. The team is also very young, with about half of it composed of freshmen.

Patterson said she was thrilled the Chargers could overcome so many obstacles and still rank fourth overall, which is the highest the team has placed in eight years, according to Gerzanick.

Patterson credits some of the team’s success at the GLIAC Championship to the attitude of all the swimmers.

“The team’s energy was so overwhelming,” she said. “Everybody was always up on their feet cheering for their teammates. They were so supportive.”

Verhoef said she was amazed by the team’s distance swimmers, especially freshman Becky Holland.

“[Holland] dropped about 23 seconds [in her 1000 freestyle swim] after having an injured shoulder most of the season,” Verhoef said. “Our distance swimmers really put in the yardage, and it really paid off for all of them at the meet—very impressive.”

Smith said no individual swimmer’s performance stood out to her.

“We each contributed to the fourth place that we received, whether it was by swimming the actual race or standing at the end of the lane supporting the swimmer that was competing,” she said.

Verhoef said the team definitely ended the season positively.

“It was a great end to the season for everyone, no matter the NCAA cuts,” she said. “Personal best times are a much better way to measure the individual's success for that season.”