Swim teams train for fast times

The Norwich University Division III swim and dive teams are preparing to participate in the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association championships (NEISDA) scheduled Feb. 13-21, according to www.norwichathletics.com.

On the men's side, the Cadets are 5-7, and the women are 1-9 in their participating meets for the 2009-10 season.

"This season has been exciting. This year was the first time our women's swim team has won under our coach," said Felicia Jones, 19, a biology major from Sherburne N.Y.

"The girls on our team are pretty good. There isn't a lot of us so we don't focus much on winning; we just focus on getting the best times," said Dana Wanjon, 21, a junior sports medicine major from Reston, Va.

"We all worked really hard during the season and competing with the other teams was very tough. The other schools have a lot of outstanding swimmers," said Derek Mullen, 19, a freshman nursing major from Farmington, Conn.

The Cadets trained during the winter in preparation for the NEISDA championships.

"For winter training we had to be back at Norwich by Jan. 4. It was very draining but we worked hard to push through it," Wanjon said.

"During winter training, all we really did was eat, drink, sleep and swim," said Jeremiah Hanson, 19, a freshman criminal justice major from Ports Monmouth, N.J.

According to Molly Patterson, 22, a senior from Gulf Breeze, Fla., the team trained over the winter with "three-a-days" almost every day for two weeks.

"Even though we are a Division III team, we practice like a Division I team: practice was intense," Hanson said.

Team members are looking forward to the NEISDA championships because they've performed their fastest there, according to Hanson.

Nearly 75 percent of the swim team has qualified for the championships and the possibilities for success are strong.