It was an unsuccessful last chance for several Northwestern swimmers as they failed this weekend to record qualifying times in the final meet of the season before the NCAA championships.
Nine members of the NU women’s swimming team traveled to Bloomington, Ind., to compete in the Indiana Open on Sunday. Only three NU swimmers improved upon their season-best times, and none qualified outright for the NCAA meet.
The Cats finished fourth at the Big Ten championships Feb. 21-23, but only three NU swimmers were assured NCAA spots.
“It’s pretty challenging to out-perform what you did at the conference meet,” Tierney said.
The uncertainty of the competition and the schedule – some events are canceled because no one enters them – makes the “Last Chance” meet a very different experience from other competitions during the season.
“It’s a last chance meet, so you’re expecting it to be just yourself,” said Erin Swenson, who was the only swimmer in the 200-yard individual medley. “You have to be ready.”
Swenson was one of three NU swimmers who had a positive outcome at the meet, shaving a quarter of a second off her previous best time in the 200 IM. Yet the sophomore said she doesn’t believe her B-cut time will be fast enough to qualify for NCAAs.
Stephanie Cranston’s 400 IM time and Lori Schwanhausser’s 200 freestyle mark were the only other improvements for the Cats.
Tierney said the swimmers attended the meet for reasons beyond qualifying for NCAAs.
“Sometimes you’re not only trying to go faster, but with your new athletes you’re trying to learn more about them,” the coach said.
The weekend also helped determine whether the team should start tapering a week earlier before Big Tens next year.
The Cats left for the Sunday meet a day early to watch the conclusion of the Big Ten men’s swimming championships, where the NU men’s team finished fourth.
Swenson said the excitement of the men’s meet carried over into Sunday’s competition.
“Everybody who went was just really admirable, because it was hard to get up and swim an extra week,” she said.
