This year marks the 50th anniversary of the SJU Swim and Dive program. We are so proud of our history, and so happy that we had a chance to celebrate this historic moment with many of the alumni, family, and friends of the program in early October. If you were not able to make the event, let’s just say it was a wonderful afternoon of swimming, diving, stories, and fun for Homecoming weekend. We started the day with a great alumni swim and dive, which included a great group of alumni who honestly put together some great races! I couldn’t believe how many alumni have still got it in the water! Maybe next year we’ll have to add some longer events to make it fair! 😊After the swim meet we had a banquet to celebrate and recognize the original team, which was wonderful to see. I was amazed by how many were able to make it back for the event, and even more amazed by all the stories of perseverance, dedication, and grit that led to the creation of SJU Swim and Dive. It really speaks to the legacy that has been handed down from generation to generation: there is never a question that when the moment is tough, a Johnnie will step up. We are so proud of all our alumni and especially thankful to the original team for all they did to allow us the opportunities that we have today.
As the season has progressed, we have seen more and more positive performances in the pool, leading me to believe that we are just starting to understand what we can do as a team. It’s exciting that we have a young group of guys (most of our team is sophomores and freshman) that believe in themselves and all they can do. Already to this point we’ve had two athletes of the weeks in the MIAC (both first years) which suggests that the future of our team is very bright. Colby Kern was the first Johnnie of the week with his stellar performances at the St. Kate’s Pentathlon, and Carter Larson was the athlete of the week this past week, with great performances at our home dual meet against Macalester. We will have some of our toughest competition coming up in the next few months though as the season gets going including several top 25 ranked teams, which will be our true test. UW-Eau Claire is our next meet and they have a great deal of depth as well as national talent. It will be a great test for our guys to see if they can step up in the moments that count. In January we will also have meets against Division 2 ranked team St. Cloud State, as well as our primary rivals in the MIAC Carleton and Gustavus. I look forward to watching our team develop over the coming months. I’m certain that tough competition breeds tough athletes. If we want to be the best, we must continue to compete against the best.
I’d also like to take a minute here to thank family, friends, and alumni who donated to our program this year, specifically to the Go Johnnie Challenge in September. We are so thankful to have so many wonderful supporters, we simply would not be the team we are, or be able to offer the experiences we do to so many young men without your support. It means so much to our team, and to me to see such an outpouring of generosity to our team. If you have not given and would like to, please don’t hesitate to reach out for more information.
Lastly, please consider coming and watching the Johnnie’s compete this year. We have a midseason taper meet at the Rochester Aquatic Center, which should be a great meet, with some fast swims (hopefully some team records fall), and January will be packed with home meets that will have great competition. It has been fun to have fans in the stands again for home meets and we hope to see you at one this winter! It’s so wonderful to be able to celebrate 50 years of history with the Johnnie Swim and Dive program, but I can tell you we are just as excited about what the next 50 years will be for our athletes.