TommieSports Blog

We were at the mercy of the elements on Friday (fog in Atlanta, specifically), and checked in to the hotel in Ft. Myers at about 1:30 AM Saturday morning. The alarms still went off at 5:30, and 29 brave swimmers hit the water an hour later. Back to breakfast and a long winter's nap, and we were back at it again at 6:00 that night.

The swimmers (and the coaches) may be tired, but we haven't missed a beat, getting some good work in.

In between, there's been time for relaxing on the beach, a run to church today, and some dry-land power work and even an ab/core workout. It doesn't hurt that the temps have been in the 80s, with plenty of sun (and, of course, sunscreen).

More to come.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 01:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We have an expression that we use in the middle of a set, to remind us that at the halfway point in a set, we build it up a little...make it a little stronger...drop our times a bit. It's "Happy Halfway" and it translates direclty into how we swim our races, that we consciously pick it up at the halfway point. There are a number of reasons we have been saying this for the past 25 years...we've even had it printed on our practice caps. Perhaps the most important reason that, often right in the middle of a race, you begin to feel the beginnings of some fatigue...and the last thing you should be thinking about is, "Golly, I'm starting to get a little tired here...." It's much better to be thinking, "Okay, here we go...time to build it up...."

Well, it's Happy Halfway in the season, and the perfect time to look at what has been a terrific first half, but also remind ourselves that we need to pick it up a little, and remember that our schedule and academic load really allow us to do so.

We started the season on a very high note...with some PR's, a school record, and a majority of our swimmers very near their best-ever un-tapered times. We have built a good sense of family, and have taken part in quite a number of different community service events, both as a team and individually. We have done very well in the classroom.

But, our swimming and diving goals and dreams remain out there, like the second half of a race. And also like a race, we cannot focus on the end results (although that is very tempting and easy to do), we need to focus on the process...how we get there.

Sure, we can dream about everyone in the MIAC meet getting back to a final and scoring team points. We can dream about relays getting to nationals...about winning six or seven events at conference...about re-writing the record board as we did last year. After all, we're on pace to do just that.

But to focus on the dream alone is to miss out on how you get there. And that is where the good stuff of athletics resides--in the journey. "Happy Halfway" reminds us of how we get there, by deciding to get a little stronger, powering it up a little, finding the next gear. So, that's our task for the next couple of months. For swimmers and divers training at home, or maybe down in Florida, and then together during J-term.

It's time to pick it up a little, and build on what we have already accomplished...if we do, the dreams will come true and the goals will be met.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've written before about the incredible excitement that our swimmers have generated this year...everywhere I go on campus, people ask about the great start to the season that our swimmers and divers have built. It's fun to have six of the fastest times in the conference (Becca Ney, Sam Simon, Pete Mullee, and our 200 and 400 Medley Relays --Jena Root, Jill Otterson, Ali Krieger/Maddie Frost, and Becca), and also have Peter Mullee's 100 back among the fastest in all Division III.

That excitement was bumped up even more by the decision of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees to recommend to the full board that UST move ahead with the new athletic facilities...which includes plans for a wonderful new pool on the site of Foley Theater. http://www.stthomas.edu/bulletin/news/200850/Friday/Opus12_12_08.cfm
The pool will be about 25 x 36 yards with a bulkhead separating a diving area (which can also be used for training), giving us the potential of 12 training lanes, plus warm-up/cool-down lanes when we host meets. It also means that our divers can train with us...and compete at our pool!! But equally exciting is the fact that the shallow end is planned to be eight feet deep at the shallowest point...making for an incredible racing course. Obviously, as more details become firm, we can share them...but barring (further) national economic catastrophe, the new pool looks very much like a reality.

Yet, on the heels of this announcement came the sad news of the passing of Bob Christensen, the father of St. Thomas Swimming and Diving. Bob was St. Thomas's first coach, hired in 1937, to create teams at the college and the academy. He brought the first conference swimming championships to UST, in 1940 and 1941, before World War II ended his tenure at St. Thomas. If you haven't seen it yet, click on alum Michael Jordan's (2008) wonderful short history of St. Thomas Swimming to learn more: http://stream.stthomas.edu/view.htm?id=SwimmingDivingHistory

For those of you at either of the two Alumni Meet/Reunion Dinners that Bob attended, you will remember him as a true educator and a man with a warm wit and a wonderfully generous spirit. At the start of the St. John's/St. Ben's dual meet, we offered a moment of silence. And although the Bob Christensen Trophy, given to our team captains, is now a memorial trophy, I don't think we'll change the engraving to include "memorial." Better that it reflect that our memories of Bob are the foundation stones that keep our program alive...this wonderful sense of family.

And family was at the top of the tree yesterday as 50-some swimmers and divers gathered in our home to share dinner, and--in one very croweded living room--exhange gifts with their Pep Pals (another 30 year-old tradition), and then open gag gifts wrapped in newspaper. I've never heard so much laughter in one room in my life. What a joy.

And if Family didn't need any more reinforcing, this morning, Michele and I finally got around to opening a couple of days' worth of Christmas cards...(it's been a little busy around the house, with Michele going like a machine getting the house and the dinner ready for the party). Anyway, many, many of our Christmas cards now contain pictures of the second generations coming into our extended family...and alums, we thank you for these and treasure these. These are--hands down--the cutest kids on Planet Earth. I hope to find a way to share them and other alumni-related news on an alumni web page on the swimming site...so stay tuned.

But for all of you who read this...swimmers & divers, alumni, parents & family, fans, and friends...I hope that the Christmas season finds all of you in good health and that you all find your hearts warmed by all our news...both happy and sad...news of the things that draw us together, and make us family.

Merry Christmas to all of you...with love, thanks, and a warm heart.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Can't remember the last time that both sides of a co-ed dual meet were decided in the last relay. To say that the meet was exciting was an understatement. There were great races all night long...even the exhibition heats had exciting races.

Here's how close this meet was: There were nine races in the women's meet where the finishers were separated by fewer than 87 one-hundreths of a second, and half of those were decided by three tenths of less. The men's meet had four events decided by four tenths or less, with Jeremy Anderson missing second place in the 1m Diving by 85 hundredths of a point. That's one of three judges throwing an extra half-point on just one of six dives (at a 2.0 DD).

Of the thirteen close finishes, we came out ahead on nine of them. While it would have been wonderful to swing a couple of the other close ones, and win the meet, I'm not complaining. We competed hard against a very good team.

We talk a lot about "winning the close ones." There is scarcely a better illustration that a tenth of a second on a turn or breakout or race plan or start or finish, when you add two or three of those tiny gains together, can turn a loss into a win for the Tommies.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This November 5th, St. Thomas and Carleton College swimming teams will mark the 14th anniversary of competition for the The Margate Memorial Trophy. This trophy is an emblem of the sportsmanship and friendship between the two schools that goes back many years. Here’s how the trophy came to be:

At the St. John’s Invitational in January, 1994, the Carleton food service sent them to the meet with a box of bagels and a three-pound brick of cream cheese that had, according to the expiration date on the carton, expired three months earlier (hence the "Memorial" trophy). Tommies joined Knights and Carls in a complex combination of mourning (over the expired cream cheese) and indignation that the Carleton swimmers and divers would be treated with such disrespect by their own food service. This shared moment wove a fabric of friendship between the teams that can only be described as “well beyond diaphanous,” and led to the creation of the Margate Memorial Trophy, in memory of the expired three-pound brick of cream cheese.

Hours of painstaking woodwork and careful engraving created the trophy that is so respected today. Each year's dual meet is preceded by a ceremony, where the trophy is presented for competition by the home team. The level of creativity in these presentation ceremonies needs to be seen to be believed, of course.

While the Margate Memorial Trophy may not rival the Little Brown Jug, Floyd of Rosedale, or Paul Bunyan's Axe, it is emblematic of Division III swimming, which can be both fun and very competitive.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 08:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even though we were missing a half-dozen swimmers (they were attending TJ Hardy's wedding), we still outnumbered and outscored the rest of the teams in the Augsburg Pentathlon. Here's the news story:
http://www.tommiesports.com/wsd/news/AUG_10-25.html

But, for me, the story was about how well we swam this early in the season. A bunch of swimmers hit times very close to their best from last year, and even more were not far off their best pre-taper from last year.

Three new swimmers were very impressive, winning half of the meet's ten events between them: Maddie Frost, a first-year swimmer from Stillwater, won the 100 Fly and the 100 IM. Erik Huls, a FY sprinter from Farmington won the 100 fly in a time that is less than a half-second off his lifetime PR, and Peter Mullee, our junior transfer from the U of Minn, won the 100 Free and the 100 back despite having the flu. His back time was only nine tenths off of Dave Linn's school record.

These stars are only half the story, however. It would take a page to list all the surprisingly good swims that we had all the way up and down the line-up.

Obviously, the swimmers noticed too. On the way to my office, after practice this morning, I overheard snippets of talk in the men's locker room...it was all about how fast a medley relay we could put together. I'd wouldn't be surprised if a number of personal goals were modified this weekend, too...for the faster.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's been an amazing start to a season filled with promise. This team has really hit the water at "race pace," and is working very hard -- consistently hard, in our first 12 days of practice.

The work isn't just hammering some early-season quality sets, it's swimmers (and our divers, too) working hard on stroke technique, breaking old bad habits and developing the most efficient mechanics we can to carry through our training and racing. In our first three morning practices this week, the underwater camera and TIVO have sure gotten a workout, and it shows.

There have been some workout highlights, to be sure. At the end of practice late last week, we had the team do a quality 100 (at time-trial intensity, but from a push-off, and in circles). Pete Mullee clocked at 52.6 in the 100 backstroke, only seven tenths off Dave Linn's school record. Sydney Kuramoto was also very fast in the 100 back, using her amazing dolphin kick for 12+ yards every length. We're also seeing the results of the morning-practice strokework, as people are much faster in sets than in previous years...and we're only three weeks into the season.

This Saturday, we have the Augburg Pentathlon, which will be fun (and an adventure for some who will swim their first butterfly race ever!!). Then, next weekend, it's the Carleton and St. Olaf Relay Meet, followed by our traditional Welcoming Party. It's already an amazing season, and we've really just begun.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It feels like the Awards Banquet was just yesterday...literally...and we're back in school for another year. I just finished compiling the pre-season e-mail list, looking forward to our team's organizational meeting, a week from today (Wednesday, September 10, in room 155 Murray-Herrick).

The list is 68 names long, so it looks like another big, noisy, happy, fun team again this year.

If my phone calls, drop-in visits, e-mails, and notes on the door are any indication, the excitement for the coming season is really high. And the list of newcomers includes some very talented swimmers and divers, too.

We'll miss our graduated seniors, Kristin, Tim, Kevo, TJ, Mitch, and MJ, but we know they won't be far away in our hearts and memories. Besides, they're joining the greatest group of alumni swimmers and divers anywhere on the planet!! (I may be a little biased, but not overly so, if last year's 75th Anniversary Celebration is any indication).

Stay tuned for any surprises at the first meeting...there always seem to be a few.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lost in all the celebration over Jena's All-American and school-record swim, is the fact that her 58.53 is the fastest time ever swum by an MIAC Athlete in the 100 Back.
The conference keeps both Championship Records (best time achieved at the MIAC Championship), but also an All-Time MIAC Record...the fastest time swum in any competition, anywhere...and Jena broke that time in the prelims of the 100 Back.
This represents a monumental achievement...congratulations, Jena!!!

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jena dropped a couple of seconds off her lifetime best time in the 200 Back, and closed out the season as an All-American, and returning UST Women's Swimming to the national scene for the first time since 1996.

Her great season is reflective of the year St. Thomas had...amazing improvments, 14 new school records, 69 new entries on our Top 15 list, and probably over 200 personal best times among all our swims.

I know Jena is very proud of her own accomplishments, but all weekend, she talked about how she was just the representative at Nationals of the Family...that everyone swam with as much dedication and as much personal success as she enjoyed

Congratulations, Jena, and congratulation to the team...the Family.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jena's prelim record will stand...until next year. Although she made a great run at the finals, the second 50 just wasn't there like it was in the prelims, and just a couple of added tenths gave Jena a 15th place in the 100 Back.

But, no time to worry, as it's time to rest and get ready for the 200 Back tomorrow. At the MIAC Championships, the 200 back prelims was Jena's 9th swim of the weekend...so it's going to be fun to see what fresher arms and legs can do. The school record is only a second and a half away...and it's a 16-year old record. Go, Jena!!!

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jena swam a beautiful 100 back, breaking her old school record by over three tenths and moving up into a tie for 12th in the NCAA Women's Championships. She went a 58.53.

She swam a beautiful race, keeping her turnover up on the last 25 and hitting her walls very well. We can still improve the 3rd 25, so with a sub-:30 second 50, there's good reason to hope that we might even see a 57+ tonight.

Stay tuned...it's going to be fun.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our first experience with the Fastskin Pro will be our last, I'm afraid. Jena wasn't the only swimmer who found the neck opening up like a sea anchor as she tried to swim her 50. It's a shame, too, because Jena has been wicked fast in practice and looking really good in the water.

So, we'll chalk up the 50 to experience, and look forward to the 100 Back. After all, that's where we've spent virtually all our time in preparation.

If you want to follow results for Jena and other MIAC swimmers, click on http://www.collegeswimming.com/Division3/

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jena Root's 100 back time comfortably qualified her for the NCAA Division III Nationals in Oxford, Ohio, two weeks from now. Becca Ney just missed, in all three events, by a total of 8 one-hundredths of a second. Being so close, she is obviously an alternate...the third alternate listed. We'll have a good idea by Monday whether or not she's likely to make it...and we're hopeful, since the nationals go into the first weekend of Spring Break for many schools, and you never know if some swimmer or three across the country just may have already had plans (or a non-refundable ticket).

On the men's side, we'll have a good idea by next week at this time if TJ Hardy makes it into the 50 or the 100 Free. It may be a long shot, but we're hopeful. He's sitting on the bubble right now, with the strong NESCAC conference still to swim this weekend.

In any event, what an amazing year it was for these three athletes, and our whole team. And, with Jena having another shot at the 100 Back, the 50 Free, and the 200 Back, we may not be done breaking records!

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you all know, a week ago, we just completed the most successful MIAC Championship in a long time, breaking 14 school records, producing 14 All-conference performances and and making 68 new entries in our All-Time Top 15 List. The kids swam so well, that the MIAC coaches voted me Men's Coach of the Year and Women's Co-Coach of the Year. And, while I am wildly honored, it's the kids that did it...all of it. They worked hard and really earned the respect of the other teams and coaches in the conference. I'm so proud of them.

Then, one week later, we hosted an alumni meet and reunion, celebrathing 75 years of swimming and diving at St. Thomas. We probably had over 100 alumni at the meet and/or dinner, and had the chance to honor 94 year-old Bob Christensen, the first hired coach at St. Thomas, and the true Father of St. Thomas Swimming and Diving. We also honored Janet Grochowski, the first women's coach, who started the women's program in the two years following co-education in 1977.

The Alumni Meet featured children of alums, a generations relay where Alumni, thier children, and current swimmers all joined to make up relays. No racing was allowed, although a "grudge match" between brothers Dave Linn ('05), and Tony Linn ('10) was pretty hotly contested. It was just the joy of watching races like Hall of Famer Dave Willits ('87) swim next to the man who broke his 21-year old 100 Freestyle record, TJ Hardy ('08), or seeing Vickie Manuele Caulum ('83) and her handsome son Nate swimming on the same relay as Jim Beggs ('84) and his daughter Monica ('11).

And the Kids Relay...well...there was more "cuteness" than a warehouse full of kittens and puppies. Swimmers ranged from Lisa Tushaus Anderson's 6-week-old to Nate Caulum and Jane Schnirring's daughter Olivia, a freshman at Totino-Grace, and about 20 kids in between. I'm guessing that the whole pool felt as I did...that our hearts were about to burst with joy as these kids flopped, dove, and jumped into the water and swam a length or two in the same water their parents did.

After the meet, we shared a delicious dinner in the Murray-Herrick ballroom. It was a memorable and emotional evening, highlighted by a commemorative documentary created by senior Michael Jordan, whose new company, Epoch Videos, is off to a great start. The children ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and played with a group of about 10 of our current swimmers while the adults talked, laughed, and told stories, many of them true.

We talked about the generations of St. Thomas swimmers and divers, and our place in this wonderful history. For me, it was a day devoted to Family...the concept of family that has been the centerpiece of our program for three decades, and was present in degrees before that. We are, as corny as it sounds, links in a long and very strong chain. And Saturday's celebration was a joyful reminder to me, as I told the crowd, "I can think of no greater honor than to be related to all of you."

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What can you say about a team that breaks 14 school records, wins four events, has a couple dozen all-conference swims, has 7 national B cuts, and makes about 40 new entries on our All-Time Top 15 list? It was simply the best conference meet we've had since the early 90s.

We've tapered beautifully over the years and always swum well at the conference meet, but this year, the team improved so much over the course of the year, that we were starting way ahead of most seasons.

I'll follow up on this theme in a day or so (it's almost 1:00 AM, and we are celebrating the 75th Anniversary of swimming and diving at St. Thomas with an alumni meet and banquet tomorrow). So I'm going to get some sleep, and enjoy tomorrow right down to my bones. Then, some sleep, and we'll get Rebecca Ney, Jena Root, and TJ Hardy ready for nationals.

I'll keep you all posted.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The school record count is now up to 8, and Rebecca Ney won her second event of the conference meet in the 100 Backstroke. Jena Root was 3rd, and both broke 59 seconds in the 100 back, a B national cut, and one that has a great shot at getting both women to Nationals. Becca is the conference Champ, Jena set the school record in the prelims.

This came after the 200 Medley Relay team was DQ'd for a false start (a call I didn't agree with, but we'll respect the officials and their decisions, of course). The team had comfortably made the B national cut, and broke the School Record by 2.3 seconds.

On 3m springboard, Kristin Jarnes repeated her all-conference performance of last year, taking 3rd with a great list, and Layla Clauss took second in the 200 Free.

The men's 200 Medley Relay team of TJ Hardy, John Stark, Kevin Mullee and Tim Mullee broke the school record in the 200 Medley as well. The men's 800 Free Relay team missed breaking the school record by 4 tenths of a second, and the women broke their 800 FR record by 14 seconds, finishing 3rd in a great race.

The men's team is currently in 3rd...in a great battle with Carleton. The women's team is solidly in 5th, trying to close on St. Ben's.

Prelims tomorrow begin at 10:30, if you can make it to the Aquatic Center to support your courageous Tommie swimmers and divers.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We started the meet with some great swims in the 400 IM and 100 fly...ran into a little bad luck...two 9th places...one in the women's 100 Fly, and the men's 400 IM, but otherwise had some wonderful drops.
Then, in the 200 Free, we absolutely caught fire, and that carried over into the 100 Breast and 100 back.
Both Nick Frost and John Stark made it into the Champ finals of the breast, as did Jill Otterson. Krista Horejsi and Tom Becker also will score in the back 8.
Monica Beggs and Layla Clauss will swim in the champ finals of the 200 Free, and Becca Ney and Jena Root both broke a minute, with the school record going to Jena in the 100 Back. Jena's time of 58.86 is already a solid B cut for Nationals, and will likely get in. But I'm betting that both Jena and Becca better that time, and will be heading to Ohio in March.
In the men's 100 back, TJ Hardy set another lifetime best, and qualified 4th with a 52.79, which, like his 50 yesterday, is a national B cut.
I'm betting we swim better tonight...and we have two 200 Medley Relay teams that are going to fly, plus two very strong 800 Free Relays. In fact, we should have all four women in the 800 Free Relay under 2:00...and the old record was 8:08.6, set in 1987.
You can follow along in real time by clicking on
http://www.miac-online.org/Sports/mswim/2007/sdchampionships08.asp
Even if you're not in the stands, waving a purple "GO TOMMIES" bandana, you can cheer the team along.

So far at the championships: 6 new school records, 30 new entries in the All-Time Top 15 list, in only 11 events swum, with finals in six of those events yet to be swum.

No question about it, we're having one the greatest meets in our history, and swim for swim, we're swimming better than any other team at the MIAC Championships.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last year, we had one of the best years in our recent history, with 7 new school records and about 20 new entries in our All-Time list of the Top 15 times. Well, we just about equalled last years performance on the first day of the MIAC Championships!

Becca Ney and TJ Hardy are both conference champions in the 50 Free, both under the national B cut, and the men's 200 Free Relay was second. We had so many improvments, too, last night in the finals. Swimmers either dropped time or moved up places. It was one of those great days that coaches dream about...and the cool thing is, that we probably have better events, as a team, today and tomorrow.

We are having a spectacular meet...and while all the teams are swimming fast, I doubt that any team is swimming any better than the Tommie women and men. I'm so proud of these kids, and what they've earned.

Friday is going to be fun, and fast, and don't be surprised if we take down another six school records!!

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 06:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I told the kids to dream the impossible, and then do what they knew they could do...and that the results would lie somewhere in between and probably closer to the impossible.

Well, after one Prelim session of the MIAC Championships, dreams are coming true in a big way.

Becca Ney is qualified 1st in the 50 Free and broke the school record. Jena Root went the 4th fastest 50 in school history, and is qualified 4th.
About six minutes later, TJ Hardy did exactly the same thing in the Men's 50. Kevin Mullee is also in the finals, and Tim Mullee and Nick Frost are in the back 8. All four guys in the 50 placed their best times on the All-Time list.

Jeremy Anderson is in the finals of the men's 3m with his best point total of his life, and newcomer Andy Peterson finished 12th, with a point total that puts him 12th on the All-time list.

Andrew Spratt dropped 17 seconds in the 500 and squeaked in 8th, with Mitch Johnson and Teddy Paterson in the back 8. Layla Clauss (7th) and Monica Beggs (10th) both dropped 7-8 seconds in their 500s, and Sam Zastrow (17th) took off 15 seconds, for a 5:31, her lifetime best by a bunch. Erin Weber, who is a flyer and just needed a Thursday event, dropped 12 seconds and went a spectacular 5:38 in her 500.

Elise Andersen and JoJo Nemec and Matt Moore are all in the back 8 of the 200 IM...with JoJo and Elise posting lifetime bests, and Matt almost...he'll be there tonight with some "outside smoke" from Lane 8.

But maybe best of all, we have a real shot at breaking school records in all four relays, as well as improved performances by TJ and Becca. It's going to be fun.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How do you put into words the excitement and anticipation and promise of this year's conference meet? What should we expect from a team that already has a third of its member swimming at or better than their lifetime Personal Bests? The moon? The stars?
In my 29 years here at St. Thomas, I've never felt better about a team going into a championships...everyone is so ready, looking so good, and swimming fast in practice. Nobody is looking for the exits or lining up excuses...they're all talking about records and great swims, and looking foward to competing. What a great feeling.
Come Sunday, I hope to be filling out national entries for a bunch of events, re-writing our school record book and top-15 times lists.
Results will be on the MIAC website: www.miac-online.org. Hope you enjoy following the results as much as we're going to enjoy creating them!

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two weeks until the MIAC Championships, and everything feels like it's falling perfectly into place. The swimmers are swimming their best times of the season in our recent meets (we had a great meet against St. Olaf, and some terrific swims in the dual against St. Mary's and at the St. Kate's Invite). I've never seen spirits so high.

As I compare our times to the results of the Gustavus/Carleton meet, it's exciting to think that we'd be right in there with these top teams in the MIAC. Our goal this year was to make a move to the top group of the MIAC, and it feels like we're gaining momentum as we move that way. Our women's relays are among the best in the conference...in fact, the 400 Medley has the fastest time posted this year. Our men are all well ahead of where they tapered from last year...some even posting lifetimes bests pre-taper. Everyone looks really good in the water, and everyone is working hard, and working smart. No coach could ask for more.

We have 14 swimmers tapering for the Gustavus Invite on Saturday, and they look GREAT. Can't wait to see them swim.

Can't wait for February 14, too....can't wait......can't wait!

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After a spectacular training trip--which included great weather, some great workouts, and a lot of really fast swims against D-II powerhouse Wayne State, we are back in the water in our home pool at St. Thomas (which we affectionately call the "Palace Clubhouse."
You'd think we'd be tired after stepping off the plane and hitting the water the very next day for J-term training, but we went up to Concordia and even after a 3+ hour bus ride, we broke 5 pool records (Read about it here: http://www.tommiesports.com/wsd/news/20080105Cobbers.html).
Probably 3/4ths of the team had their season's best time in at least one event. Our women's 400 Medley Relay posted the fastest time in the MIAC in their swim up at Concordia, going 4:10.16.
And although it's only been a week home, the whole team is really training well and swimming fast in practice, despite battling the sore throats and ear/sinus infections that are going around.
We get a good test this weekend, with a double dual against Hamline and St. Catherine's on Friday, and then up to the SJU/CSB Winter Invite, where we'll see Gustavus along with the Johnnies and Blazers.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On December 26, thirty-one of our team will rendezvous in Ft. Myers, Florida, for an intense 7-day training trip. We'll be training at the Florida Gulf Coast University's 50m and 25 yard pools. Add in some dry-land training, our usual ab workout, and some serious video analysis every day, and it's going to be a great experience. Of course, there is the spectacular brunch buffet at the Embassy Suites hotel (our "in" at the Suites, thanks to alum Joe Coursolle, a General Manager in the Hilton Hotel chain), and the incredible white sand of the gulf coast beaches.

We come back just in time for the start of January term, and that very next Saturday, the women head up to Concordia for a dual meet with the Lady Cobbers. I'm guessing we're going to be very fast.

Christmas training is a time when seasons can be turned around. I know that all our swimmers and divers, whether they're making the training trip or not, are going to be working hard, preparing for a great January. It's clear to me that this team senses just how good it can be, and will be doing whatever it takes to reach that potential.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Friday, we had one of those workouts that give coaches goosebumps (well...at least this coach got goosebumps). We had the whole team in the water, except the kids who had tapered for CSB/SJU because they were traveling abroad this spring, so the pool was packed.

We started with some nice general training sets, mixing things up a little, and the team was getting into it. Then, to end the workout, we did a set of 10 x 50. Everyone went 10-seconds apart, to keep the circle suction to a minimum. Because of the crowd, we went on the 1:30... lot of rest, but also a chance to practice being fast...one of our training mantras.

Well, it was amazing. In all my years of coaching, I've considered breaking 28 seconds in a repeat 50 a pretty good accomplishment for a woman at this level. I've seen it several times, but it's not all that common. At the end of the set, we had seven women on the team with 27.8 or faster from a push-off, with Becca Ney popping a 26.7 on her last 50. Of those who weren't under 28, several nearly equalled their best dive-start times of the season, from a push-off. And the men were just as strong.

It was a set I'll certainly remember for a long time...or at least until this group of workout monsters puts together another set that out-does this one.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 08:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Saturday was huge for the Tommie Swimming and Diving teams. We started the weekend with a very competitive meet with St. John's and St. Ben's, both were meets that we might have won with just a handful of close races going our way. We trained through this meet, with monster workouts Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and still had almost 100% season's best performances. I was very proud of the way we competed, and very excited about how fast we are this early.

Then, after singing Christmas Carols on the bus on the way home (a 29 year-old tradition), the team came to my house for an evening of dinner (including Michele's great shrimp and orzo salad), sandwiches, and tons of cookies (baked Wednesday night by the Cookie Monsters...yet another tradition). Then, more tradition. Each swimmer brought a gift for their Pep Pal, and everyone opened a gag gift. I've never heard so much laughter in my living room before. Finally, each Captain was presented with the traditional Swiss Army Knife for their keychain, and the kids presented the coaches with very nice and thoughtful gifts. I'm already assembling the pictures that will go in the digital frame they gave me.

Although this weekend signals the end of competition for fall semester, and our focus shifts a little toward exams, we're also looking forward--with considerable optimism--to the training that builds toward a great conference meet. More than ever, it looks like we will compete with the best in the conference and return swimmers and divers to the D-III National Championships in Ohio in March. What a Christmas gift that will be.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 07:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As many of you know, this is the 75th anniversary of swimming at the University of St. Thomas.

The first historical record of St. Thomas's participation in intercollegiate swimming or diving was in 1933, in what was then called the college State Meet . No Tommie swimmers scored that year, but there's evidence found in the school newspaper archives that our school was, at least, represented.

The next year, interest had grown to the point where 23 men went to the athletic director, and received permission to begin practicing at the John Ryan Baths in Minneapolis. They coached themselves, and again swam in the State College Meet. Just two years later, Bob Christensen was hired to coach a team, and within four years, they had St. Thomas's first conference championship in swimming and diving.

Save the Date!!

We're going to have an anniversary party on Saturday, February 23, starting at 2:00 PM in the O'Shaughnessy Natatorium, followed by a reception and dinner on campus. That gives plenty of time to meet with old friends for brunch before the meet, then splash in the pool (non-competitive, of course) with the current team, and then share an evening of memories with team members old and new.

We are hoping to have Bob Christensen, the first coach, at the banquet. We'll have more details to follow, of course, but it should be an evening to remember.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This falls under the category of "ain't technology amazng?" I'm writing this during at a break between sessions at the U of M Aquatic Center, which is the only building open today on the U of M campus. But while the cold snow is blowing around outisde, the competition is pretty hot inside.
Several teams, like North Dakota and South Dakota, rested and shaved for this meet, hoping to make early cuts. So our kids are running against that level of competition and our best swimmers are holding their own.
Today, as yesteday, we've had about 95% seasons-best times, and a handful of lifetime bests, too.
Sydney Kuramoto (100 Back), JoJo Nemec (400 IM), Kelly Tonnemaker (200 Free), Jena Root (200 IM), Pat Hangge (100 Free) and Tony Linn (100 Free) all set lifetime PRs.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a little more than an hour, we leave for the U of M Aquatic Center and the Falcon Invitational. We'll see some outstanding competition there, including the University of Minnesota (their non-traveling team members), perennial Division II powers U of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Mankato, plus a number of very good Division III teams. There will be great racing in every heat, and a nice challenge for our top kids.

I'm especially excited to see some of our relays compete against the best. Every coach plays with splits, adding up potential bests and comparing the total time to the national qualifying standard, and think about what it might take to win an MIAC championship. Having a chance to take those splits from my scratch paper into a great pool like the U of M is exciting indeed.

All our relays are going to be fast this weekend, especially the women's medleys and the men's freestyle relays. (of course, as I wrote that sentence, I found myself thinking, "well, our women's free and men's medleys are going to rock, too!"). No matter what, it's going to be fun.

Be sure to check our swimming and diving website on Sunday or Monday for results...and don't be shocked if you see UST popping up among the best of what D-II and D-III have to offer.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to the Swim Team's Blog (at least, the coach's blog). It's hard to know exactly where to begin...we've had such a fantastic start to the season. We have 56 swimmers and divers on the roster, more than we've ever had on either the men's or women's team.

You can feel the energy in practice. Kids are working hard, but even more important, they're working hard together. From the deck, I see kids working side by side, dragging each other to fast repeats in sets, with lots of encouragement and even more smiles. The social kicking is really social, and that's just fine.

Our team's activities have been great, too. The fall Welcoming Party had a great skit (one of the best), with the new kids lampooning the returning kids (and Pat Hangge doing a great impersonation of the old coach, right down to the shaggy grey eyebrows). That party and skit is a 29-year old tradition that is still going strong.

The team also went on a pre-season camping trip, the Seniors and Captains hosted all the new kids at a pasta feast at Buca di Beppo Italian restaurant, and the team came out to our house for our annual Bonfire Bash, complete with chili and cornbread...the bonfire got rained out, but no one went home hungry. Another tradition is our swim-a-thon, this year as a part of the Ted Mullin Hour of Power. We raised $605.00 for research at the University of Chicago.

All told, it's been a great start to what promises to be fantastic year. Stay tuned to this blog, to learn more.

Posted by Tom Hodgson at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)