With its dual meet season finished, Northwestern (6-4) is now looking ahead to the Big Ten Championships, which will be held Feb. 21-23 in Columbus, Ohio.

The team at this point will begin its rest period, called a taper, in which the overall practice yardage decreases and the swimmers focus on perfecting every aspect of their stroke.

“We have a few weeks and we have work still to do, but it will be shorter bits of work here and there and more recovery time for them,” coach Jimmy Tierney said.

“We are just letting them recharge their batteries to get ready to go in a couple of weeks, so it will be fun.”

Senior co-captain Andrea Hupman knows taper is not all fun and games.

For a sprinter like herself, every detail of her stroke counts matters in the short races, so her technique and racing strategy need to be perfected down to a cue.

“We’re going to do a lot of speed work between now and then,” Hupman said. “We are going to keep sharpening the small details and get some rest, so when it comes time, we’re going to be at the top of our game and ready to go.”

For senior co-captain Katie Braun, taper is not something new.

Braun hopes to use her experience and knowledge to guide the underclassmen and help prepare the team for the Big Ten meet.

She said she especially wants to reach out to the team’s freshmen, because they have never experienced this process as an NU swimmer.

“I think they’re going to be really surprised when they get to Big Tens at how stressful and exciting it is, so I want to get them mentally prepared for that,” Braun said.

“Then the rest of the team I think will follow if we focus on them and get them excited. In the process, we’re all going to get excited together.”

Braun also plans on focusing on herself, both in and out of the water. This is her last taper as a Wildcat, and she wants to make the best of it.

“For me, it’s going to be about getting myself healthy, staying healthy, and just enjoying the next three weeks,” she said.

“I only have one more time to taper with my team and enjoy that time, and it’s when everyone is most energetic because we’re not training and we’re sleeping more.”

Reach Bette Marston at [email protected].