Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Martin Foley
Swimming Ready to Turn Heads in Greensboro
February 18, 2020 | Swimming, #ForBoston Files
BC heads to the ACC Championships over the next two weeks with something to prove.
Last season's record-setting breakout provided a new high-water mark in the history of Boston College swimming. More than two dozen records fell, a domino-like impact of more than 35 individual performances. It was pure magic and a wondrous celebration for the program, which knew the potential existed but entered last season more motivated than ever to catapult into a new era.
Even though it appeared as "Year One" of BC's record breakout, last year was only part of a process for the program. So when it hit the water in the fall of this season, the expectation became more about sustaining success with a desire that didn't burn out over the summer or into the fall.
"We were ready," head coach Mike Stephens said. "Everyone came back much more fit and ready for high-level training earlier in the season, and everyone worked really hard during that first stretch. There was so much more quality training going on, which is a testament to our culture, and it started in August and September. That first month to six weeks built on our foundation."
It was a new edge, and BC put it on full display from the first day on the water. Armed with a new home pool in the Margot Connell Recreation Center, the Eagles dominated the Northeast Catholic Invitational in the first event of the year. They collected dual-meet victories, including a women's overall score win over Loyola, and continually chipped away in both genders through November.
"We were good in the beginning," Stephens said. "There were times during the season that we maybe shouldn't have been swimming fast, but we just kept getting better and better. We just kept building on it, and it made everything really fun. We didn't have to start from scratch at the start of the season, and it really just enabled us to be fast."
That's when the breakout performances came, and records fell once again. BC cleaned house in its biggest event of the fall, winning both the men's and women's overall scores at the Terrier Invitational hosted at Boston University. The men's team racked up 1,192 total points, and the women's team scored 997 as the Eagles defeated five other schools for the first time in program history.Â
"That meet was three days, so there's a lot of emotion and ups and downs that go with (a long competition)," Stephens said. "As a coach, you know how much your swimmers and divers put into competing, and you want them to succeed (for that reason). So it was really neat. I remember talking to the team after the meet, and it was emotional because I was so proud of them. We had been going to that meet since before I started as an athlete (over 10 years ago), and I'd been to 10 or 11 of those meets. I remember the women, for years, not finishing higher than sixth or seventh. That was the first time we won that meet. So it was a really emotional moment."
Two Eagles qualified for the U.S. Open in that event, and the the women's 200 freestyle relay team of Ashleigh Scott, Ali Kea, Sofia Zinis and Haley Dolan broke the program record. It was one of two records set by BC after Maura Grimes broke the program record in the 100 backstroke.
She was joined in Atlanta by Matt Clark, who used the U.S. Open as a springboard into the second half of his season. The freshman dominated the late-season, dual-meet portion of BC's schedule, eventually breaking the program's record in the 100-yard individual medley in the last meet of the regular season.Â
Six Eagles eventually represented BC in the prestigious meet. They were part of a 1,000-swimmer field extending well beyond the college ranks and into senior national swimmers and Olympians.
"One of our biggest underlying philosophies is to maximize potential," Stephens said. "It doesn't happen in one week or one year. But it feels like the groundwork that we've put in over the last couple of years is paying off this season. We're performing higher than what we've done in the past.
"It starts with what we ask for in workouts," he continued. "Some groups did more training sessions in the pool, and there was additional dry land training and weight training. It was more rigorous, but we tried to push this team harder than any team that we've had. We wanted to see what they could handle, and it allowed us to push them from a competitive side."
That second half performance is anchoring the Eagles' team-based approach, and BC now enters the ACC Championships over the next two weeks with bolstered confidence. Both teams saw Duke earlier this season as part of a quad-meet at home, and the women's team nearly upset Miami on the road in January.Â
"We had moments where we needed to bounce back," Stephens said. "On the men's side, there was a moment where the captains had to rally the guys after a performance that they didn't feel was as positive as they wanted. After that, we had probably the best run of dual meets that we've had since I've been a part of Boston College swimming. It shows the resiliency of our team, and the level that we strive to elevate to have."
The BC women won five events and led the Hurricanes on points until the hosts swept the diving event. But the performance ripped the lid off of one of college swimming's best-kept secrets, setting the tone and stage for how the Eagles intend to compete with the ACC elite over the next two weeks.Â
The ACC Women's Championship starts on Wednesday of this week and runs through the weekend, with the Men's Championship taking its place next week. Both events are at the Greensboro Aquatics Center, which is part of the larger Coliseum Complex.
"It's exciting," Stephens said. "The ACC is arguably the deepest conferences in the country, and it's one of the best conferences in the country. This meet is incredibly fast, and it's one of the best meets to compete in. But we've taken a good step forward each year. There's a different feeling this year. Our group feels like it belongs here; every year, we've tried to take a step forward. Everyone is ready to compete and do what they can do at a really high level. I'm really proud, and they all see how far we've come in a pretty short amount of time."
Both meets can be seen on the ACC Network Extra, which is televised as part of the ESPN online streaming platform on the Internet and via the ESPN mobile app.
Even though it appeared as "Year One" of BC's record breakout, last year was only part of a process for the program. So when it hit the water in the fall of this season, the expectation became more about sustaining success with a desire that didn't burn out over the summer or into the fall.
"We were ready," head coach Mike Stephens said. "Everyone came back much more fit and ready for high-level training earlier in the season, and everyone worked really hard during that first stretch. There was so much more quality training going on, which is a testament to our culture, and it started in August and September. That first month to six weeks built on our foundation."
It was a new edge, and BC put it on full display from the first day on the water. Armed with a new home pool in the Margot Connell Recreation Center, the Eagles dominated the Northeast Catholic Invitational in the first event of the year. They collected dual-meet victories, including a women's overall score win over Loyola, and continually chipped away in both genders through November.
"We were good in the beginning," Stephens said. "There were times during the season that we maybe shouldn't have been swimming fast, but we just kept getting better and better. We just kept building on it, and it made everything really fun. We didn't have to start from scratch at the start of the season, and it really just enabled us to be fast."
That's when the breakout performances came, and records fell once again. BC cleaned house in its biggest event of the fall, winning both the men's and women's overall scores at the Terrier Invitational hosted at Boston University. The men's team racked up 1,192 total points, and the women's team scored 997 as the Eagles defeated five other schools for the first time in program history.Â
"That meet was three days, so there's a lot of emotion and ups and downs that go with (a long competition)," Stephens said. "As a coach, you know how much your swimmers and divers put into competing, and you want them to succeed (for that reason). So it was really neat. I remember talking to the team after the meet, and it was emotional because I was so proud of them. We had been going to that meet since before I started as an athlete (over 10 years ago), and I'd been to 10 or 11 of those meets. I remember the women, for years, not finishing higher than sixth or seventh. That was the first time we won that meet. So it was a really emotional moment."
Two Eagles qualified for the U.S. Open in that event, and the the women's 200 freestyle relay team of Ashleigh Scott, Ali Kea, Sofia Zinis and Haley Dolan broke the program record. It was one of two records set by BC after Maura Grimes broke the program record in the 100 backstroke.
She was joined in Atlanta by Matt Clark, who used the U.S. Open as a springboard into the second half of his season. The freshman dominated the late-season, dual-meet portion of BC's schedule, eventually breaking the program's record in the 100-yard individual medley in the last meet of the regular season.Â
Six Eagles eventually represented BC in the prestigious meet. They were part of a 1,000-swimmer field extending well beyond the college ranks and into senior national swimmers and Olympians.
"One of our biggest underlying philosophies is to maximize potential," Stephens said. "It doesn't happen in one week or one year. But it feels like the groundwork that we've put in over the last couple of years is paying off this season. We're performing higher than what we've done in the past.
"It starts with what we ask for in workouts," he continued. "Some groups did more training sessions in the pool, and there was additional dry land training and weight training. It was more rigorous, but we tried to push this team harder than any team that we've had. We wanted to see what they could handle, and it allowed us to push them from a competitive side."
That second half performance is anchoring the Eagles' team-based approach, and BC now enters the ACC Championships over the next two weeks with bolstered confidence. Both teams saw Duke earlier this season as part of a quad-meet at home, and the women's team nearly upset Miami on the road in January.Â
"We had moments where we needed to bounce back," Stephens said. "On the men's side, there was a moment where the captains had to rally the guys after a performance that they didn't feel was as positive as they wanted. After that, we had probably the best run of dual meets that we've had since I've been a part of Boston College swimming. It shows the resiliency of our team, and the level that we strive to elevate to have."
The BC women won five events and led the Hurricanes on points until the hosts swept the diving event. But the performance ripped the lid off of one of college swimming's best-kept secrets, setting the tone and stage for how the Eagles intend to compete with the ACC elite over the next two weeks.Â
The ACC Women's Championship starts on Wednesday of this week and runs through the weekend, with the Men's Championship taking its place next week. Both events are at the Greensboro Aquatics Center, which is part of the larger Coliseum Complex.
"It's exciting," Stephens said. "The ACC is arguably the deepest conferences in the country, and it's one of the best conferences in the country. This meet is incredibly fast, and it's one of the best meets to compete in. But we've taken a good step forward each year. There's a different feeling this year. Our group feels like it belongs here; every year, we've tried to take a step forward. Everyone is ready to compete and do what they can do at a really high level. I'm really proud, and they all see how far we've come in a pretty short amount of time."
Both meets can be seen on the ACC Network Extra, which is televised as part of the ESPN online streaming platform on the Internet and via the ESPN mobile app.
Players Mentioned
IM/Breast/Back
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Free/Back
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Freestyle
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Sprint Free
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