By Melissa Wallace '11
It's a sport that fails to get recognized as often as it should. It's not in the ranks with baseball, football, or basketball. And it's rarely a spectator sport, receiving simply close friends, family, and alumni in attendance.
But for The College of New Jersey's men's and women's swim teams, recognition, superiority, and spectators, are not what the sport is about.
It's about being a part of a team and learning how to work together to achieve both individual and team goals. The teams pride themselves on this sense of unity and motivation that transpires in the pool every day at practice and during competition. Because without encouragement and motivation from teammates and coaches, they wouldn't find themselves ranked among the elite programs in the country.
“The juniors and the seniors try to set a good example every day in practice with both our attitudes and our practice habits,” says Julianne Clapp, a senior and co-captain, “As seniors, we try to set an example and get everyone else motivated for practice and for meets.”
It's this philosophy that has helped both the women's team and the men's teams achieve national status. In a recent poll conducted by collegeswimming.com, the men's team garnered a rank of sixth place among the Division III swimming schools in the nation, while the women's team earned a rank of 16th place, establishing the men's and women's swimming programs as two of the top athletic programs at the College.
Both teams are off to fast starts as the women's team boasts a perfect 5-0 record, while the men have a mark of 4-1. The biggest win for each team this season came at home as the Lions swept NCAA Division II and rival Southern Connecticut State University.
Tom Medvecky, a junior and All-American, maintains the belief that the leadership of both the coaches and the athletes are what has contributed to the immense success of the men's team.
“There are those that lead by example, those that have a commanding voice, and those that know how to talk to people and solve problems,” says Medvecky, “Without those people, the team would crumble and would be nowhere near where it is today.”
Within the past few years, the men's swimming program has established itself as one of the top programs in the nation, garnering numerous All-American honors, along with countless conference titles. They are a powerhouse in the world of Division III swimming, and head coach Brian Bishop has every hope of maintaining that elite status towards the end of the season.
“I believe if we hit everything right, we could be in the top five,” Bishop says in regards to the national ranking, “We will just have to see if we could put it all together.”
The hours of hard work, the dedication, and the commitment prove that swimming is an arduous and demanding sport, but Bishop feels that his swimmers are dedicated to it and to the team.
“They're unified in their purpose,” says Bishop, “They all want to find out how good they are and are committed to doing everything possible.”
Last season, Bishop's team showed that purpose placing 10th in the team standings at the NCAA Championships.
Under the leadership of head coach Jennifer Harnett, the women's swim team also maintains this vision.
“I think we have a group of girls that are very dedicated, are very goal driven and really just want to be a part of a great team,” says Harnett, “Their dedication to the team is reflected in how they train and how they are swimming at meets.”
With a National Champion, various national qualifiers, and two consecutive conference championships within the past few years, the women's team's success proves them to be a force to reckoned with among Division III swimming. Like Bishop, Harnett also hopes to sustain this status towards the end of the season.
And with both winter training and the start final push of the regular season approaching, the men's and women's swim team have a long road ahead of them, but with the leadership of their teammates and their coaches and the proven success that continues to follow both programs, there is no doubt that they won't come out on top.
