The intimidating atmosphere of IMPE Pool in Champaign loomed as large as a tidal wave. And it was all but ready to wipe out the Northwestern women’s swimming team Friday night.
Amid the daunting surroundings, however, the Wildcats managed to earn their first Big Ten victory of the 2000-01 campaign, defeating Illinois 156-144.
Entering the final event — the 200-yard freestyle relay — NU maintained a scant seven-point lead. As the competitors stepped up to the blocks, Illinois fans and swimmers chanted the school’s fight song, which drowned out the Cats’ attempts at yelling support for their own swimmers.
But Maria Reeves, Lauren Moore, Merritt Adams and Katie Simmons weren’t fazed: The quartet sailed to victory, thrusting a dagger into the Fighting Illini’s heart.
“That was a tense race, and I was feeling (my teammates’) pressure,” NU captain Tashy Bohm said. “All you could hear was (Illini fans) chanting ‘Illinois.’
“I love how we won and shut them all up.”
Coach Jimmy Tierney said he was proud of how his swimmers handled the race. Mental toughness, he said, was the key for NU.
“They stood up and did a good job,” Tierney said. “I didn’t have to say a whole lot to them. They were confident and they knew the situation. We’re excited that we came out to win. The main thing was that they got out there and raced really tough.”
And in an unfamiliar natatorium, to boot.
There were no windows in the pool area and the only glimmer of light came from the ceiling, leaving most of the pool in darkness. The heat alone caused NU swimmers to break a sweat and gasp for air. Pickup games on a basketball court above the bleachers could be glimpsed from the pool deck. Combined with the packed bleachers on Illinois’ Senior Day, the home-pool advantage helped make a weak Illinois team seem much stronger.
“Since I’m a senior, I’m used to all the senior meets,” Bohm said. “But whenever you’re in a new environment you’re a little nervous.”
Bohm blamed her sweaty palms on the unfamiliar pool. Yet she said she treated it as just another meet.
“I don’t pay attention to what the pool is like,” she said. “If you don’t let it affect you, it doesn’t really make a difference at all.”
Bohm squared off against her nemesis, Jessica Aveyard, and split the backstroke events with her — coming up victorious in the 100 but falling short in the 200. She maintained a lead the entire way in the 100 to swim her best time of the season but was unable to hold on to her early lead in the 200.
“I had a lot of speed going into the meet, but my endurance wasn’t as far up as I wanted it to be,” Bohm said. “I don’t prepare for my races — I goof around, I try to keep the energy up, I try to keep everyone in high spirits, not just myself.”
But it was freshman Stephanie Cranston who was NU’s savior. Approximately five minutes before the 500 free, Tierney asked Cranston to swim the event. Having already swum the 1,000 and a couple of 50s in the warmup pool, she stood up to the test and won. Cranston won the 1,000 free as well.
“Stephanie may have been swimmer of the meet for us,” Tierney said. “There’s no way we could’ve won the meet without her. We have such a good distance corps.”
Cranston’s teammates finished just behind her in both distance events, with Nicole Bernard taking second in the 1,000 and Erin Swenson and Erica Rose placing second and third in the 500, respectively.
Although Rose’s third-place finish was a slip from her first-place showing a week ago, picking up the points was crucial for NU, Tierney said. Rose’s 500 performance was gutsy, Tierney added, because she swam immediately after her fifth-place finish in the 200 breaststroke — a new event for Rose.
For Cranston, Rose served as added motivation to swim fast in Illinois’ choppy waters.
“We compete against each other pretty heavily,” said Cranston, who admits she has been struggling in practice of late. “But when we get out of the water, we’re still friends.”
“It was nice to have a good meet. It helped out a lot because I was down on myself. It really helps me get excited for upcoming meets.”
