Meghan HurleyThis season, the Cabrini women’s swim team has been dedicated to excellence, working harder for better performance at each meet. They have set the bar high for themselves and have committed to being the best they can be.
Currently the team is tapering currently it is mid-season and just when they are tempted to begin to slack on their game with finals and winter break imminent, they have two crucial meets in the days ahead.
Freshman elementary education major Andrea Carabella said, “This season is going well. I think our most successful meet of the season was against Misericordia. We lost but I think the dedication and drive of the team was put into full effect. Carabella, who is new to the team said, “Even though as a whole we lost, we definitely achieved a personal best. I excelled in two events. This was a personal victory for me.”
As most students look forward to lazy days spent in front of the television this winter break, the swim team is facing double daily practices and hard physical workouts. There is a bright spot in all of that, they will be doing it in sunny Florida.
“I’m so excited to be going to Florida over break. I will probably be exhausted but the idea of practicing outside in the warm weather is sounding so amazing right now. I seriously can’t wait,” Carabella said.
The team heads south the first week in the New Year for what might be the hardest training they have yet to experience.
Coach Mike Kernicky said, “Florida will be a bonding time for the girls. We are going to beat them up physically with double practices, make them hate them hate the coach a little but it will be good for them as a team, as a whole. They will work hard and learn to commiserate over it.”
Carabella is no stranger to hard work. “Here on a college team. it is a lot less stressful then when I was in high school. The coach knows it can be a hard transition from high school to college sports. We work hard here but he knows we are learning the ropes,” Carabella said.
She added, “It is really different from high school where when we were seniors we were the leaders, now we are the one’s starting over again and learning. It has been a positive learning experience so far.”
To say Coach Mike Kernicky is excited about this season would be putting it mildly. “This season has been fantastic. It has been the best season ever. The girls are hard workers and they deserve the success that they are getting.”
On Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, the team competed against Fairleigh Dickinson and Ocean County College.
These meets were huge for the team. The women of the team hope to outdo their previous performance records of the season. These meets will qualify swimmers to participate in the Eastern College Athletic Confernce finals at the University of Pittsburgh. The ECAC is just the first step to the elusive National Collegiate Athletic Association championship.
“These meets are crucial for the girls. We’re hoping for some of them to qualify for the ECACs at Pitt. This is a major factor in getting into the NCAAs.” said Kernicky.
The swim team has had a very successful season thus far. Their current record is 3-2, with many more meets to elaborate on their success, these women have a lot to look forward to.
The season wraps in mid February.
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