Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

SWIMMING & DIVING | Hoyas Set for First Dual Meet

After the women’s team made a strong debut last week in the Potomac Relays, the Georgetown swimming and diving team will have their first dual meet of the season at Delaware tomorrow.

The meet will also mark the first time the men’s team, which was suspended from last week’s competition for an unspecified violation of team rules, will swim competitively this season.

Despite the men’s suspension, the women had a commanding performance at American last Friday. The Hoyas finished with three first-place showings and six second-place finishes, meaning they finished in the top two of every event.

“I thought we had a lot of good energy, and we performed well as a team,” Head Coach Jamie Holder said. “People were supporting each other, and there was a great attitude.”

Although the team — particularly the men’s squad — is green after a summer away from the Hilltop, Holder believes his team will show up in Delaware.

“They’re looking good in practice, both the men’s and the women’s teams. I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve seen so far,” Holder said. “If the women’s performance at the Potomac Relays is any indication about what kind of shape we’re in, we should swim well.”

Senior captain Christina Daquila agreed with her coach’s assessment and argued that last weekend set the bar high for Georgetown.

“I think we’ve definitely gained a lot of confidence from the Potomac Relay meet, because it’s the first time Georgetown, as far as anyone knows, has ever won that meet,” she said. “So we’re really excited, and it definitely means good things for the rest of our season.”

The senior also credited the strong performance to the freshmen and sophomores, who are already playing an important role for the Blue and Gray.

“In the Potomac Relays, a lot of the relays that won were majority freshmen. [They] had two or three freshmen, at least, in them, so we’re trying to get them to step up as leaders because they definitely have the talent,” Daquila said.

Holder concurred, noting that the younger classes include some of the team’s best swimmers.

“There’s a little more depth in the freshmen and sophomore classes, so they’re going to be a key to our success this year,” Holder said. “They are, for better or for worse, some of my more talented kids.”

While the Hoyas have been preparing specifically for the meet against the Blue Hens, they are at the same time looking to build the team up for their long-term challenges.

“On a weekend we’ve got dual meets, I don’t expect best times — it’s the nature of the sport. But the biggest meets that we have, like the Bucknell Invitational, we’ll rest a little bit for that,” Holder said. “Right now, we’re in the building stage of training.”

Daquila was quick to note that the team is optimistic, with the heavy practice load bolstering its confidence.

“Preparing mentally [means] not getting psyched out by the competition ever, just knowing that we have the training and everything behind us and definitely using that to give us confidence,” Daquila said.

The Blue and Gray will bring that confidence and hope to see a reward when they travel to Newark, Del., on Saturday. The meet is set to start at 1 p.m.

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