As he handed flowers to the seven seniors, some of them teary eyed, coach Jimmy Tierney stood composed. Northwestern had a meet to win and he had to keep the swimmers in check.
‘I did worry about the emotion,’ he said. ‘I just wanted to make sure that emotion was put into the pool and (the swimmers) did a really good job.’
The No. 23 Wildcats (8-3, 2-3 Big Ten) cruised to a 173.5-121.5 victory over the Hawkeyes (5-4, 1-3), honoring the seniors who swam their last dual meet in Evanston.
‘It’s a great day to be a Cat because we really raced well for the seniors,’ sophomore Hannah Points said. ‘They’re a really great group of people and I personally am going to miss them tremendously next year.’
With a season-high 600 fans in attendance, Norris Aquatics Center buzzed with excitement and anticipation. Among the crowd were 40 male swimmers from Lake Forest High School, where former NU and Olympics swimmer Matt Grevers attended.
But the loudest contingent of fans was Iowa’s travelling support, led by the father of Iowa swimmer Christine Kuczek. Sporting a yellow and black wig, Ted Kuczek was on his feet, tirelessly leading Iowa chants from start to finish.
‘(The atmosphere) was great,’ Iowa assistant coach Frannie Malone said. ‘There’s a lot of Hawkeye fans in Chicago. It’s really nice to have the fans’ support.’
Before the meet, an emotional ceremony honored NU’s seniors. The image of the seniors receiving their flowers from their coaches, with their parents and teammates proudly looking on, reminded the crowd the afternoon was not just about winning or losing.
Once the meet began, the seniors channeled their passion into the pool and proved to NU fans one more time why they are some of the fastest swimmers in school history. Emily Wong lit up the meet with a trio of wins in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyles, outracing Kuczek in all three events. Kassia Shishkoff set NU’s season-best time on the 200-yard butterfly and swept the 500-yard freestyle, pulling 8.85 seconds ahead of second place. Genny Szymanski won the 200-yard backstroke and Jenn Kocsis swam the Cats’ season-best time in the 1,000-yard freestyle to earn nine points for the team.
‘All our seniors did a really great job and that’s important because it was their last meet,’ junior Ellen Grigg said. ‘It’s great to see them go out with a win and I’m sure they’re happy with their performances.’
The underclassmen showed the Cats have plenty to look forward to next season. Sophomore Jenny Wilson led the way with her win in the 200-yard breaststroke. Freshman Meredith King took first place in the 200-yard IM in addition to second- and third-place finishes in other events. Freshman Taylor Reynolds, who has been a regular in NU’s ‘A’ relay teams this season, finished third in the 100-yard freestyle.
‘We’ve got some great underclassmen that are doing a terrific job,’ Tierney said. ‘They’re motivated, they want to be successful and I’m really excited with what’s coming up.’
Co-captain Grigg said she is confident the team will adapt next year but said the seniors have been more than just great athletes-they have been role models.
‘These seniors are the best,’ she said. ‘They bring team morale up, they’re always willing to help, they’re just really good hard workers’hellip; I just can’t imagine this team without them next year.’
Tierney paid tribute to Mary Beth Francis, Jenn Kocsis, Tania Lyerly, Rachel Rys, Shishkoff, Genny Szymanski, and Wong.
‘You certainly feel it deeply,’ Tierney said. ‘They’re very, very special people. It’s different when they finish and they’re not coming to the pool everyday, but they’ve left their mark and we’re so proud of them.’ [email protected]
