Swimming and Diving Looks to Make Waves This Season

Sept. 19, 2014

BY Whitney Jude

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.--Scheduling in college athletics often is one of the most important aspects to a successful season.

Marshall University's swimming and diving team is hoping that a competitive regular-season schedule will help the team make a splash at the 2015 Conference USA championships.

"One of the things we try to do as we prepare for our conference championships is schedule some teams that can help us get accustomed to racing fast people," Herd swimming and diving coach Bill Tramel said. "When we are at our championship meet everybody is fast; everybody is ready to go."

Tramel believes the competitive schedule, which includes the Akron Zips, the 2014 Mid-American Conference champion, will prepare his team for the season's bigger moments.

"If we schedule teams we could just throttle that don't really challenge us, I don't believe it really prepares us to compete in the heat of the moment when we really need to perform our best and dig down," Tramel said. "So what we try to do is schedule some teams that are very close to where our caliber is right now and then stretch it just a little bit."

The lone C-USA team on the Herd's regular-season schedule is Western Kentucky. Tramel attributes that to the logistics of competing in a conference that is geographically widespread.

"It's very difficult for us in our sport to compete against a lot of Conference USA schools," Tramel said. "Just the way that we are all spread out, to fly all the way to Texas to swim a 90-minute swim meet and then fly back, it just doesn't make sense."

While being a member of a conference that spreads across 10 states, the Herd has compiled a roster of athletes that covers an even greater distance. Four of the school's 20 swimmers hail from countries outside the United States.

"When we look at recruiting, I don't really care where you're from," Tramel said. "You can be from the North Pole for all I care. If you can swim fast or dive well I want you on our team. So when we look at prospects we don't focus on any on region."

The Herd also boasts a strong regional presence on its roster as well with 10 athletes from West Virginia and the neighboring states of Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.

"We are within 300 miles of several major metropolitan areas," Tramel said. "It seems that more and more student athletes are choosing to go to school closer to home. If you look at the team rosters pretty much across the nation, a majority of the folks are within a 300-mile radius. So, we feel blessed that we are in a great location."

With the start of the season just a month away Tramel feels his team is still a work in progress, one that is loaded with potential.

"I think we're all as a team, still a work in progress," he said. "I think everyone has potential. Everyone has the potential to be a breakout athlete this year. The coaching staff provides a tremendous opportunity with great leadership, workout design, and conditioning. So each one of our athletes have the resources on the athletic side to achieve greatness."

Even with a good coaching staff and great resources, Tramel believes ultimately it goes back to the competitors' desire to succeed.

"It really does go back to the athletes themselves and making the choice to make the commitment," Tramel said. "They have to have the discipline everyday to do the right thing and to give an honest effort to improve their technique.

"Like I said, we have 27 athletes and every single one of them can have a breakout year. But, in a lot of ways it's kind of up to them."

Part of making sure everyone on the team is doing the right thing is having strong leaders. To strengthen his team's leadership, Coach Tramel turned to the Marshall University Marine Corps ROTC.

"The Marine Corps does a lot of good things by way of leadership," Tramel said. "We asked them to come in and do a little leadership seminar. They came in and talked about the 14 leadership qualities of a Marine. Things like initiative, tact, and things like respect."

The Herd's leadership doesn't fall to any one athlete regardless of class or experience. Tramel said it was important for his entire team to be filled with leaders.

"Just because you're a senior doesn't mean you're the only leader and just because you're a freshman doesn't mean you can't lead," he said. "That's what we continue to talk about -- that everyone needs to be a leader."

The Herd swimming and diving team opens the season Oct. 11 at the Frederick A. Fitch Natatorium with the two-day West Virginia Games.

This story first appeared in Herd Kickoff 9/13/2014.

Marshall University Athletics

Swimming and Diving Looks to Make Waves This Season

Related News

Related Videos