The Men’s and Women’s Swim and Dive team is embarking on their quest for a MAAC Championship this Wednesday, Feb. 12. The event is taking place on Spire Academy’s campus in Geneva, Ohio which is quite the trek for a conference located in the North East. Head Coach of the Men’s and Women’s teams Jake Lichter has meticulously planned for the trip and has heavily emphasized the importance of stretching and hydrating for the lengthy journey to his team. The swimmers have taken two buses to the venue and have predictably spent 8 hours on the road yet they will have to power through in order to begin the competition at 3 p.m. this afternoon.
In his first year as head coach, Lichter has thrived in his new environment and has upheld the winning standards set by previous teams. His most recent prior experience comes from coaching as an assistant for Cornell University, a job that he held for six years. The transition has included the classic challenges that most new head coaches face like “building trust” and “ensuring a strong team culture”. Coach Lichter has succeeded in these tasks but also believes that his athletes have done an equally impressive job with the acclimation. He stated, “The athletes have responded exceptionally well, and they have made the transition better than I could have hoped.”
To prepare for the MAAC Championships the team has been tapering down on the volume of their drills while maintaining intensity, a standard practice in swimming but nevertheless vital for success. Coach Lichter has particularly honed his coaching onto the smaller details ahead of the event, focusing on the swimmer’s starts and turns in order to make the marginal improvements that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Coach Lichter also does not discount the value of “mental preparation” as in a sport with such binary results it is required to have a strong mental state to endure the ups and downs.
The outlook for the Championships seems very optimal for the Stags and the team is looking to continue to capitalize on their strengths in relays. Team relays are important for points and team morale according to Lichter and it has been an advantage for Fairfield in the past. This year the Stags are excelling in the 800 freestyle relay as the Men’s and Women’s teams are both the top-ranked seed. On the individual side, the men’s squad has three of the top eight seeds in the men’s 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle. The women’s team has dominated their competition in backstroke and look to continue this trend with having three of the top seeds in the women’s 100 and 200. To bolster the team to victory the Stags will be led by returning MAAC champions Tone Sandsjo (100 breaststroke), Andrew Cataldo (3M Diving), Erin Hoyland (1650 Freestyle), and Chris Dauser (200 Individual Medley). However, the team is very deep overall and has plenty of talent throughout its ranks.
To end the season the team will head down to Annapolis Maryland for the ECAC (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) Championships from Friday February 28th to March 2nd. Coach Lichter described this year as “exciting and rewarding” and it surely won’t dampen his first year to add a couple new trophies to his cabinet.
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