Two meets into the season, the Puget Sound men’s and women’s swim teams are one win and one loss in. The Loggers still have a long season ahead of them with multiple meets and invitational games to establish their status as a team.
The women’s swim team this year has a good variety of members on the team with a somewhat equal mix of each grade as well as the events each swimmer participates in. While there are students from all grades, a major change in the team has been the loss of many seniors, which is a prominent weakness to the team.
Junior Marissa Norrish started competitive swimming career at the age of six years old for her local club and neighborhood team, and is now one of the captains for the women’s swim team here at the University.
“I have so much love for the sport that I have never wanted to stop, and this is why I still swim today. I wanted to join the team here at UPS not only because of my love for the sport, but also because I loved the coach and the tight-knit community of the team,” Norrish said.
The dedication of each member and the potential of the team as a whole is what is going to lead the team to an overall successful season. Because swimming is an individual sport and the outcome of each event is based solely off of an individual’s performance, it is important that everyone works hard and gives it their all.
As captain, Norrish has many responsibilities both in and out of the water. She has a responsibility to lead the team to success this year as well as to be a role model to the rest of the girls.
“The best part of being a captain is knowing that everyone looks up to you. Although it is a daunting thought, it continues to keep me motivated to be the best that I can be, which will benefit both myself personally as well as the team as a whole. Being captain also makes me even more proud of my team because I am connected with the team at a whole new level,” Norrish said.
Although the team has only had two meets, they have already made a strong connection not only within the women swimmers, but also with the men’s team. The best and most memorable part of the dual meets is when everyone comes together to cheer for the team and support one another, whether they win or lose.
The hopes for the end of season meets are for everyone to have improved throughout the season and sharpen up their skills. This leads the team to have lower times and more wins at events.
“Although the season is still in its beginning stages, I know that we (both me and the team as a whole) will come to see lots of improvement. This is always exciting and when people are improving, it motivates and pushes others to also improve and drop time. It is likely that this will not occur until the conference meet in February, but my excitement is still great,” Norrish said.
Whitworth College is the biggest competition for the Loggers this year. The meet between the two should be an exciting and eventful one. Some standouts for the team this year are Norrish, who competes in the fly, individual medley, and some free; senior Caitlin Fuller, who competes in the fly and distance free; sophomore Bailey Strom, who competes in back; freshman Anne Shirey, who competes in breast and sprint free; and sophomore Auri Clark, who competes in fly.
The contribution of each swimmer’s skill and dedication will lead the Puget Sound women’s swim team to a memorable and hopefully a successful season
