JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Though their next meet was still three weeks away, the members of the Emory & Henry College Women's Swimming Team were back in the water training just a few days after Christmas. In addition to two-a-day training sessions at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, the Wasps got to spend time on the beach in 70-degree weather, visit the Jacksonville Zoo and do some shopping, all the while bonding as a team.
After putting up a 5-0 dual meet record with a 3-0 mark against Old Dominion Athletic Conference competition in the first half of the season, Head Coach Dave Griffore saw the week of training to be the next step in building his program.
"All of the swimming programs that have goals of being competitive at the national level are doing something similar to this," said Griffore, who has trained 32 Olympic Trial qualifiers in his career. "Training twice a day isn't the most fun, so we decided to go south for the week for some better weather and new scenery."
This season, E&H has been the surprise of the league, finishing fourth at the ODAC Relays to start the 2012-13 campaign and going undefeated so far in dual meets. The biggest victory came as a 96-83 win over King (Tenn.) College at home on Friday, November 16, where the Wasps won eight of the 11 races against their NCAA Division II opponent.
Emory & Henry has also had the honor of seeing three of its own named ODAC Swimmer of the Week. The Wasps are the only team other than perennial ODAC power Washington and Lee to earn the award more than once this year. Leading the squad of all freshmen has been Lauren Frizzell (Blacksburg, Va.), Taylor Guardalabene (Charlotte, N.C.) and Payton Shirey (Seaford, Del.), who took home league accolades in a four-week span.
"We've accomplished so much in a short period of time with really just one quarter of a full roster," added Griffore. "This sets us up for a great recruiting year and landing the next tier athlete that will help move the program forward, win the ODAC and make an impact at the national level. We're looking to bring in a class of about 10 swimmers who are getting contacted by mid-major Division I and D-II teams."
Emory & Henry will have its toughest test to-date on Saturday with just six swimmers in the water. The Wasps will face the Eagles of Bridgewater College and the Gators of Notre Dame University of Maryland in a double-dual format. Start time is set for noon.
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