From ninth, to fifth, to fourth,

to … ?

In recent years, it has become a tradition for the Northwestern men’s swimming team to improve its conference rank at the Big Ten championships. NU finished in the No. 4 spot at the meet last weekend, breaking multiple school, pool and personal records in the process.

And perhaps just as important as NU’s improved position was the recognition it earned from other Big Ten teams.

The Wildcats closed their season with an outstanding 6-1 record, although they fell out of the Top 25.

“The Big Ten is probably the deepest swimming conference right now,” sophomore Mark Hamming said. “Our team placed as good as we could have hoped for.”

But the road to this season’s success was a little bumpy. NU’s strong showing at Big Tens was by no means guaranteed – or even expected. Few thought the Cats would beat two Top 25 teams to finish fourth at the meet.

“Success isn’t about the triumph, it’s about the struggle,” NU head coach Bob Groseth said. “Every guy had been down in the dumps at one time.”

Reflecting on the season, Groseth acknowledged that some areas of competition could have been improved. Citing long-distance swimming and average performances from the freshmen, the 18-year veteran coach knows that perfection is not achieved in one year. As the team continues to mature, Groseth will try to build up these areas while maintaining the team’s performance in others.

Topping off the season for Groseth was his – and NU’s – first Big Ten Coach of the Year award, which he shared with Minnesota’s Dennis Dale.

“The award is a way for the other coaches to say your kids are swimming great,” he said. “It shows we’ve gone above and beyond the expected.”

“Great” hardly begins to describe how some NU swimmers performed this season. Sophomore Tony Swanson won conference titles in the 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley, earning the title of Big Ten Swimmer of the Championship. Junior Kellan O’Connor added a victory in his best event, the 200 butterfly.

With the success, the Cats may have made a new enemy this year.

NU had the last laugh against Wisconsin – the only team to beat the Cats in a dual meet this season – in the final event at Big Tens. In order to clinch fourth place, all the Badgers had to do was match NU’s time in the 400 medley relay. But Wisconsin couldn’t come through, finishing fifth in the meet as NU secured its best conference finish since 1945.

“This year we started a more bitter rivalry with Wisconsin,” Hamming said. “Starting with our new recruits, through dual meets, to the fact that we personally know a lot of the guys on the team … they’re getting to be our biggest rivals.”

Only the “Last Chance” meet and the NCAA championships loom ahead for the Cats. O’Connor and Swanson qualified for the national meet with A-standard times last weekend. Their teammates will try to swim their way into NCAAs at the “Last Chance” meet in Minneapolis on Sunday.

Groseth was happy with the way things played out this season, but he wouldn’t classify it as ideal.

“The season couldn’t be rated a (perfect) 10,” he said. “The season wasn’t easy or perfect, but it was satisfactory.”