After the session, we saw the cancelation of the WAC tournament, we knew it was only a matter of time before we'd hear similar news.
I write this statement cognizant of how fortunate I am to be healthy and safe at home. But I'm coming forward to voice my thoughts about how COVID-19 has affected me as an NCAA athlete so that others may find solace in this unprecedented time.
Despite everything, Seattle University Swimming had an outstanding season. Our team energy was at an all-time high. The addition of 16 new freshman with enthusiastic commitment to the sport boosted us the first day of preseason. Returners were invigorate by these new teammates and looked eagerly to the prospects of the season to come.
No one could have predicted the citywide flood that shut down the WAC Championships. Despite the cancelation of evening finals, lack of proper restroom facilities, and barring of spectators, Seattle U Swimming put their best foot forward. I was proud to witness a number of best times and top-10 entries by my teammates. I was inspired by my senior teammates' positivity in the cancelation of their last swim meet.
Two weeks after the WAC championships, three of my teammates and I were slated to swim at the CSCAA National Invitational. This meet was my personal redemption for missed opportunities because of the altered WAC Championships. I live for any chance to represent Seattle University Swimming on the national stage. Seattle University is young in its modern Division-I era, and establishing our name amongst powerhouse swim programs is one of the goals I have as a swimmer here. It was also another opportunity for me to qualify for the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials. These factors made the opportunity to swim at the National Invitational all the more exciting.
We swam prelims of the first session and achieved the exact redemption we sought. I went a lifetime best in the 200 Individual Medley, a time I hadn't touched since I was 18, placing ninth-overall in school history. My teammate, Will Corona, a freshman on this national stage, went a lifetime best and qualified for the championship final that evening, just hundredths of a second off the school record. My two other teammates, Jake Goguen and Tyler Goodspeed, swam later in the session and put up impressive season bests in their respective events. Members of men's swimming in Cleveland before competing at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships. Photo provided by Jack Neton
After the session, we saw the cancelation of the WAC Tournament, we knew it was only a matter of time before we'd hear similar news.
I've never felt emotions like I did when I found out we were being pulled from the meet. All the 5 am wakeups, the grueling double workouts, and the sacrifices made to be the best athlete I could be would culminate to nothing. This particular opportunity to represent Seattle U Swimming at the national stage would not come to fruition. My dreams of swimming for Seattle University at Trials and having my name on the record board would be disrupted.
I haven't touched the pool since that prelim session in Cleveland.
The closure of facilities means our team will not be able to touch the water indefinitely. But college swimming is so much more than being in the water. The privilege of being a member of this team has given us forty peers to call family. This family in Seattle U Swimming will support each other to our utmost until we meet again. This family will remain as strong as it is together during this time apart.
To our senior class, thank you for being role models and accepting me as a member of Seattle U Swimming from day one. Your resilience in the adversity we faced this season is admirable and will remain a legacy for teams to come.
To my fellow junior class, it's now our time to step up as leaders on the team. I urge you to use this time to reflect on ways you can personally contribute to idealized change and influence a phenomenal team chemistry when we meet again.
To our underclassmen and incoming recruits, get ready to bounce back hard. I've seen your commitment to the craft and it has inspired my own passion for the sport. Please don't let this commitment dwindle now.
I look forward to the day we come back together as Redhawks. I look forward to the next time I step up onto the blocks wearing my Seattle U cap. I look forward to the next time I can complain about the cold pool. But for now, it's time to be a socially responsible citizen so that we can come together sooner rather than later.
