Winless in the Big Ten through its first three dual meets, the Northwestern women’s swimming team could use a break from its conference schedule.
But this weekend, the Wildcats are playing host to the NU Invitational, where they will square off against in-state foes Illinois and Southern Illinois. So much for a break.
NU is facing its fourth Big Ten opponent in as many weeks after coming up short against Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin. But NU head coach Jimmy Tierney is optimistic about this weekend.
“Illinois has a strong team,” Tierney said. “But we have a lot of girls coming back from injury that are ready to compete.”
One of those is Rachel Johnson, who is slowly making her way back from a shoulder injury. Johnson’s listed events are butterfly and individual medley, but last week against the Badgers she only swam the 100 backstroke, finishing fifth. She said she wasn’t sure when she would be competing in all of her events at full speed.
The three seniors on the squad — Johnson, Carmen Cosgrove and diver Kristin Ward — will try to lead NU to the success it saw last season. But it won’t be easy.
The Cats lost All-American Merritt Adams and team captain Lauren Moore to graduation. Their departure, coupled with several injuries, has given NU a lot to overcome this season.
“We don’t want to put a number on anything this season,” Tierney said. “We want to go into championship season and just give it our best.”
Sophomore Brielle Bovee is a bright spot for the team. She sat out the end of last season with an injury but has come back strong, going undefeated in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and joining the 400 relay team. Tierney said he expected Bovee to contribute to the team, just not so much and so early.
The diving team should be a big factor this year for NU. This season, the Cats have capitalized on the diving of sophomore Ashley Carter, who finished first in both the 1- and 3-meter events against Wisconsin.
After the three-day NU Invitational, the Cats won’t be swimming at home again until Jan. 18, when they have a dual meet against Tennessee. Following the meet, NU only faces Michigan and Ohio State before it has to suit up for the Big Ten championships.
In Tierney’s nine years as coach, the Cats have never finished lower than fourth at the conference meet — where they placed last year.
The Cats actually thrived on the meet’s three-day format, similar to this weekend’s Invitational.
“It’s much easier to compete and have all your teammates cheering for you,” Johnson said. “What’s hard is getting up at 5:30 in the morning and swimming for five hours a day.”
