The Holiday Break has come to an end and we are back in Buckhannon, WV and ready to train!
It is time to get serious again after a week at home for the holidays. The semester is coming to and end and with that said it is important the student-athletes focus on their grades and what they need to do academically first! Training will increase as the week goes on as we have completed our mid-season meet and small taper.
I look forward to seeing all of the athletes tomorrow morning at 6:00am!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
OUTSTANDING
The IUP Invitational was an OUTSTANDING meet for the Bobcats! Each session we became faster and better. The final day ended with Jeff Dye breaking the 200 backstroke school record and winning the race too. Thomas Bartleman won the 100 free in a 47.17, Max Garner went a 2:15 and Rachael Bailer went a 2:32 in the 200 Breaststroke. Natalie Howard went a 57 on the 400 free relay and a 19:40 in the mile! Jeff Dye and Phil Fisher had incredible performances in the mile as well. Every athlete achieved a life time best time this weekend and most importantly had fun! There was never a quiet moment during this trip. The team was not just a team but a family who supported each other through it all. Each athlete gave every race his/her very best effort! I could not be more proud of this team! Each day we are growing at Wesleyan and becoming one step better.
Thank you for the Howard Family for taking care of the team and being their parents away from home. I also want to thank you for taking care of myself and Rod. We are truly blessed to have you be a part of our family.
The team has off this week for Thanksgiving, however are expected to train during this break. We will be back in action again December 3rd against Frostburg State!
Click Here for Final Results: http://www.iupathletics.com/news/2011/11/16/MSWIM_1116110307.aspx
Thank you for the Howard Family for taking care of the team and being their parents away from home. I also want to thank you for taking care of myself and Rod. We are truly blessed to have you be a part of our family.
The team has off this week for Thanksgiving, however are expected to train during this break. We will be back in action again December 3rd against Frostburg State!
Click Here for Final Results: http://www.iupathletics.com/news/2011/11/16/MSWIM_1116110307.aspx
Saturday, November 19, 2011
200 Backstroke school record!
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Friday, November 18, 2011
Past Halfway
Day 2 has come to a close!
It was an outstanding night for the Bobcats. It began with the 200 Medley Relay (men finishing 3rd and woman 6th) and continued on into the individual races. Ashley Kirkhart had a strong performance in the 400 IM along with Mark Mattis who finished 2nd with a time of 4:14. The 100 fly was up next with Vivian Minkemeyer looking strong, Thomas Bartleman finishing 4th (52.17), Adam Brumley finished 12th and Nick Tworek 14th. The 200 Free was to follow when Jeff Dye finished 3rd with a 1:44.79, Thomas Bartleman 8th, Phil Fisher 11th and Mark Mattis 18th. The 100 breaststroke had two outstanding performances from Ellen Denton, Rachael Bailer and Max Garner. Bailer touched the wall in 1:09.80 finishing 5th and Denton was 15 with a 1:14.42 and Garner was 1:01.58 with a 3rd place finish. The 100 back was the final individual event with Ashley Kirkhart finishing 11th, Adam Brumley 10th, and Jeff Dye WINNING with a 52.42! The final event on the evening was the 800 free relay. The women finished 9th and the men had another strong performance with a 3rd place finish.
After the session concluded the Howard Family treated the team to a wonderful dinner at Fire Mountain. Many other parents joined the team in celebrating our accomplishments thus far and fueling their bodies for the final day tomorrow. Thank you to the Howard Family!
Tomorrow is the final day of competition! Let's finish this thing STRONG!
It was an outstanding night for the Bobcats. It began with the 200 Medley Relay (men finishing 3rd and woman 6th) and continued on into the individual races. Ashley Kirkhart had a strong performance in the 400 IM along with Mark Mattis who finished 2nd with a time of 4:14. The 100 fly was up next with Vivian Minkemeyer looking strong, Thomas Bartleman finishing 4th (52.17), Adam Brumley finished 12th and Nick Tworek 14th. The 200 Free was to follow when Jeff Dye finished 3rd with a 1:44.79, Thomas Bartleman 8th, Phil Fisher 11th and Mark Mattis 18th. The 100 breaststroke had two outstanding performances from Ellen Denton, Rachael Bailer and Max Garner. Bailer touched the wall in 1:09.80 finishing 5th and Denton was 15 with a 1:14.42 and Garner was 1:01.58 with a 3rd place finish. The 100 back was the final individual event with Ashley Kirkhart finishing 11th, Adam Brumley 10th, and Jeff Dye WINNING with a 52.42! The final event on the evening was the 800 free relay. The women finished 9th and the men had another strong performance with a 3rd place finish.
After the session concluded the Howard Family treated the team to a wonderful dinner at Fire Mountain. Many other parents joined the team in celebrating our accomplishments thus far and fueling their bodies for the final day tomorrow. Thank you to the Howard Family!
Tomorrow is the final day of competition! Let's finish this thing STRONG!
Day 2
Day 2 is off to a GREAT start!
Each day of competition gets more challenging as your body get tired and sore. It is important to stretch, hydrate and warm down properly. Today I asked the team to focus on something that they can do better today and to continue to support each other. With that said we had a great start this morning at prelims.
There are numerous of swimmers coming back tonight for finals. Mark Mattis is seeded first in the 400 IM, Jeff Dye is seeded second in the 200 free and 1st in the 100 back, Max Garner is seeded forth in the 100 breast, Rachael Bailer is seeded 10th in the 100 breast, Thomas Bartleman is seeded second in the 100 fly. There are many other swimmers who are also swimming again this evening.
Adam Hill, Adam Brumley, Brandon Atkins, Emma Sorsaia, Kim Stephens, Rachael Kelly and Tosha Saltis all achieved life time bests this morning! I am very proud of the changes you have made and continue to make.
We look to go into tonight and simply race! We are close to some school records and NCAA B cut times that we will be making a run for those tonight as well. The 200 medley relay and 800 free relay will also be swum tonight.
Keep it up Bobcats! Every race is a new/different race. Stay focused and positive.
Each day of competition gets more challenging as your body get tired and sore. It is important to stretch, hydrate and warm down properly. Today I asked the team to focus on something that they can do better today and to continue to support each other. With that said we had a great start this morning at prelims.
There are numerous of swimmers coming back tonight for finals. Mark Mattis is seeded first in the 400 IM, Jeff Dye is seeded second in the 200 free and 1st in the 100 back, Max Garner is seeded forth in the 100 breast, Rachael Bailer is seeded 10th in the 100 breast, Thomas Bartleman is seeded second in the 100 fly. There are many other swimmers who are also swimming again this evening.
Adam Hill, Adam Brumley, Brandon Atkins, Emma Sorsaia, Kim Stephens, Rachael Kelly and Tosha Saltis all achieved life time bests this morning! I am very proud of the changes you have made and continue to make.
We look to go into tonight and simply race! We are close to some school records and NCAA B cut times that we will be making a run for those tonight as well. The 200 medley relay and 800 free relay will also be swum tonight.
Keep it up Bobcats! Every race is a new/different race. Stay focused and positive.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Day 1 Complete
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE NIGHT OF SWIMMING!
The night began with a lightening fast 200 free relay by both the women and men.
It continued on with Jeff Dye and Phil Fisher in the 50 free when they got 3rd and 5th place.
It was then on to the 200 IM where Rachael Bailer and Ashley Kirkhart swam their hearts out and achieved better times. Max Garner and Mark Mattis both dropped time and Nick Tworek stayed the same. Mattis got 4th overall.
The 50 free was next to come and Ellen Denton went 25.51 which placed her 10th. Thomas Bartleman had an incredible race touching in 2nd place with a time of 21.70, just missing the NCAA B cut. Adam Brumley finished 16th with a 23.82.
The 400 medley relay concluded the night. The women swam an impressive race with Ashley Kirkhart (1:06), Rachael Bailer(1:09), Vivian Minkemeyer(1:04) and Ellen Denton (56). The B relay had a strong performance as well with Kimberly Stephens anchoring the relay with a 1:05 (a lifetime best)!!!!!!!
The Men took the water after the women. The B relay swam first and had the coaches speechless when Brandon Atkins split a 1:02, Adam Hill split a 1:10, Nick Tworek split a 56, and Phil Fisher finished it off with a 49. The A relay had a breathtaking relay which came down to the last few strokes and finished second by .10 to Wheeling Jesuit. The relay team of Jeff Dye, Max Garner, Thomas Bartleman and Mark Mattis all swam life time bests!
Way to go Bobcats!
Rest up and prepare for another great day tomorrow!
The night began with a lightening fast 200 free relay by both the women and men.
It continued on with Jeff Dye and Phil Fisher in the 50 free when they got 3rd and 5th place.
It was then on to the 200 IM where Rachael Bailer and Ashley Kirkhart swam their hearts out and achieved better times. Max Garner and Mark Mattis both dropped time and Nick Tworek stayed the same. Mattis got 4th overall.
The 50 free was next to come and Ellen Denton went 25.51 which placed her 10th. Thomas Bartleman had an incredible race touching in 2nd place with a time of 21.70, just missing the NCAA B cut. Adam Brumley finished 16th with a 23.82.
The 400 medley relay concluded the night. The women swam an impressive race with Ashley Kirkhart (1:06), Rachael Bailer(1:09), Vivian Minkemeyer(1:04) and Ellen Denton (56). The B relay had a strong performance as well with Kimberly Stephens anchoring the relay with a 1:05 (a lifetime best)!!!!!!!
The Men took the water after the women. The B relay swam first and had the coaches speechless when Brandon Atkins split a 1:02, Adam Hill split a 1:10, Nick Tworek split a 56, and Phil Fisher finished it off with a 49. The A relay had a breathtaking relay which came down to the last few strokes and finished second by .10 to Wheeling Jesuit. The relay team of Jeff Dye, Max Garner, Thomas Bartleman and Mark Mattis all swam life time bests!
Way to go Bobcats!
Rest up and prepare for another great day tomorrow!
Day 1
Prelims:
Session one is done and over with! We are off to a solid start with some great swims! The swim of the morning was the 500 free by Brandon Atkins who swam his best time of 5:41!!!!!!!!!! AMAZING Swim Brandon! There are numerous of swimmers who made it back tonight.
500 Free: Jeff Dye and Phil Fisher
200 IM: Rachael Bailer, Ashley Kirkhart, Mark Mattis, Nick Tworek, and Max Garner
50 Free: Ellen Denton, Adam Brumley and Thomas Bartleman
200 Free Relay and 400 Medley Relay will also be swum tonight as well.
Rest Up and Fire Up for Tonight!
Session one is done and over with! We are off to a solid start with some great swims! The swim of the morning was the 500 free by Brandon Atkins who swam his best time of 5:41!!!!!!!!!! AMAZING Swim Brandon! There are numerous of swimmers who made it back tonight.
500 Free: Jeff Dye and Phil Fisher
200 IM: Rachael Bailer, Ashley Kirkhart, Mark Mattis, Nick Tworek, and Max Garner
50 Free: Ellen Denton, Adam Brumley and Thomas Bartleman
200 Free Relay and 400 Medley Relay will also be swum tonight as well.
Rest Up and Fire Up for Tonight!
IUP Invitational
It is finally that time...day 1 of the IUP Invitational! After a small taper and making many technique changes it is time to put it all together. We are ready to go and fired up, Let's get this thing off to a great start!
Watch us at: http://www.swimutopia.com/
Let's Go Bobcats!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE
It was an absolutely incredible dual meet against Notre Dame College of Ohio. This team truly came together as a team and supported everyone. There was not one swimmer who was not standing and cheering on their teammates to victory and best times.
The meet began with some technical difficulties but were fixed quickly! Once we were ready to go the meet began with the 200 medley relay which both the woman and men won. Next was an INCREDIBLE race by Natalie Howard in the 1000 freestyle. Natalie played cat and mouse with the swimmer from Notre Dame but made her move with 600 yards to go. She swam to victory and got a best time of 11:26.74, which was a 22 second drop! Phil Fisher swam an incredible race in the 1000 free as well, however came up a little short. Jeff Dye and Samantha Free won the 200 free. In the 50 free Ellen Denton held off Notre Dame with a time of 25.52. Kimberly Stephens swam a best time of 29.53! Thomas Bartleman won the 50 with a time of 22.31. The 400 IMers all swam very well also. At this point both the men and woman were winning, however the woman were only winning by 7points. It became a battle between both teams. The meet finished with the 100fly, 100 free, 100 back, 500 free, 100 breast, and 200 free relay. There were very close races which resulted in the woman coming up short in the end. Even though the woman came up short we won because we swam incredible and came together as a team. Overall the team won the meet!
I am beyond speechless! We will rest this week as we travel to IUP on Wednesday for a three day mid season invitational!
Continue to eat well, rest, and be smart!
Way to go BOBCATS!
Friday, November 11, 2011
WVWC vs. NDC
Tomorrow at 1:00pm the Bobcats will compete against Notre Dame of Ohio! The Bobcats are fired up and ready to pounce! We look forward to seeing all of our fans there to cheer us on to victory.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
W&J Results
The Men beat W&J, however the ladies fell. It was an even split but combined we beat the Presidents. There were some great performances and some that just were not the best. The woman had a challenging meet since we had a few athletes out due to illness and injuries which lowered our numbers against their 26 woman. It came down to numbers and they had them this time. The Men dominated the Presidents who were missing a few men due to a water polo match.
The swimmer of the meet was Emma who swam all of her best times in the 50 and 100 freestyle. She has taken input that the coaching staff has given to her and made the changes which resulted in SUCCESS! Keep up the hard work Emma!
Overall, I am very pleased how we competed due to circumstances we were in. We will begin our taper this coming Monday for our mid season meet at IUP on the 17th. Next Saturday we will compete against Notre Dame of Ohio at home at 1:00pm.
The swimmer of the meet was Emma who swam all of her best times in the 50 and 100 freestyle. She has taken input that the coaching staff has given to her and made the changes which resulted in SUCCESS! Keep up the hard work Emma!
Overall, I am very pleased how we competed due to circumstances we were in. We will begin our taper this coming Monday for our mid season meet at IUP on the 17th. Next Saturday we will compete against Notre Dame of Ohio at home at 1:00pm.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Washington and Jefferson College vs. Wesleyan
"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."
Today we head to Washington and Jefferson College for a great dual meet. W&J is a strong D3 program who has had success the past couple years. This is a great opportunity for our team to swim against a strong program.
Results will be posted following the meet.
Go Bobcats!
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Friday, November 4, 2011
"It’s hard to beat a person that never gives up."
"It’s hard to beat a person that never gives up," said Babe Ruth. I believe this quote is very true because when you are competing against an individual who never gives up you will lose no matter what. It is not a matter of touching the wall first all the time, but a matter of giving it your best and never giving up!
Tomorrow we will head to Washington and Jefferson College in Washington,PA. The meet begins at 1:00pm and I hope to see family and friends there to support us. Dual meets are a chance to learn and practice what we have been focusing on. It is a chance to meet new people and compete against different teams. It is the opportunity to practice races before our mid season meet. The team has had a challenging week of practices and have been fighting illnesses. Although, we have been ill, tired, and sore I am not worried and confident that this team will perform to the best ability tomorrow.
Rest up swimmers and eat a well balanced meal.
Good Luck, but most importantly..........HAVE FUN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijTwZNUBhcI&feature=feedrec_grec_index
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Focus
This afternoon was yet another great practice. I know I say most practices are great and I truly mean that. Each and every day this team continues to make me smile and impress me. Most importantly, they impress themselves and make each other smile. There were some challenging sets given today and they all conquered them! As we continue to prepare for our mid season meet in 14 days we will focus more on little things. For example, Ellen Denton made some changes to her turns today and WOW did it make a difference! It is a matter of focusing on what needs to be done and listening to the feedback the coaching staff is giving. There is always something that needs to be improved, changed, or strengthened.
Tomorrow we will prepare for a test set and Saturday we will swim again Washington and Jefferson College!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
First Day of November
As the sun was rising today I asked myself if there is ever such a thing called a "perfect season?" According to Wikipedia it is defined as "any sports season, including the playoff portion of a season, in which a team remains undefeated and untied. The feat is extremely rare at the professional level of any sporting competition, and has occurred more commonly at the collegiate level in the United States."
When I asked this question I was not asking in terms on wins or loses but in terms of "nothing going wrong." It is my belief that there is no such thing as a 'perfect season' because there is always going to be a challenge to overcome as an athlete or a coach. Challenges can be anything from illness to injury to death. However, every challenge that is put in front of us is an opportunity to show how strong we are! There is no such thing as perfect in my opinion, yet I do believe success is a result of doing things correctly. If you train things correctly you will achieve success. If you put in your best effort every day you will ultimately achieve success. With this there is also patience that is necessary. We cannot get frustrated when we do not perform our best all the time. Time is precious and you need to be patient with this.
As I asked this question to myself again, I thought perfect really should not have a definition because perfect is what you yourself define to be perfect.
When I asked this question I was not asking in terms on wins or loses but in terms of "nothing going wrong." It is my belief that there is no such thing as a 'perfect season' because there is always going to be a challenge to overcome as an athlete or a coach. Challenges can be anything from illness to injury to death. However, every challenge that is put in front of us is an opportunity to show how strong we are! There is no such thing as perfect in my opinion, yet I do believe success is a result of doing things correctly. If you train things correctly you will achieve success. If you put in your best effort every day you will ultimately achieve success. With this there is also patience that is necessary. We cannot get frustrated when we do not perform our best all the time. Time is precious and you need to be patient with this.
As I asked this question to myself again, I thought perfect really should not have a definition because perfect is what you yourself define to be perfect.
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