With Big Ten Championships on deck, some Illinois swimmers are already stepping up on the blocks for their final opportunity this season in the Minnesota Challenge this weekend.
Tapering has begun for the Illini’s top performers, but those unable to fill the top spots will travel about eight hours to Minneapolis, where they will have their last chance to put up season-best times.
“I know our coaches said we did more yardage (this season) than ever,” sophomore swimmer Andrea DeAngelis said of practice. “We’re just really excited and ready to swim.”
As for the divers, head coach Sue Novitsky said they will be using this meet as one last opportunity to complete their full list of dives and refine them prior to Big Tens.
“All of our goals are either to get best scores in diving or times in swimming,” sophomore diver Erika Murphy said. “We’ve been working really hard, so hopefully it will all pay off.”
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Last year, the Illini put up seven top-five finishes and 17 personal-best times in their races, which Novitsky said is what all of her swimmers and divers are aiming for these next two weeks.
“They’ve been resting for a couple of weeks now,” Novitsky said. “They get to shave and put on their fast suits, just go out and have some fun and compete.”
Both DeAngelis and Murphy said the biggest challenge of the meet will be the duration of the competition. While swimmers go through the grueling procedure of back-to-back days of competition, divers must transition into long-wait periods between each of their dives, which is a similar format to the Big Tens.
Back in Champaign, swimmers and divers who stayed behind have begun winding down after a tough season of little rest between competitions. Novitsky said she has been meeting with all of her swimmers to make sure they have their race plans locked in.
“(I want them to) have their goals in mind,” Novitsky said. “So when they step up on the block, no matter if its this group this weekend or in two weeks, that it’s already set in place, all ready a habit and a routine that they’ve already ingrained and their ready to execute.”
J.J. can be reached at [email protected].
