EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Freshman
Melissa Miller swims the 1,000-meter freestyle
against Illinois Thursday.
By Regina Yeh
Daily Bruin Contributor
Sheltered from the glare of the sun by the thick trees
surrounding the pool, the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center made an
idyllic location for a meet between UCLA and Illinois.
This idyllic atmosphere was marked by coaches and teammates
screaming encouragement to team members in the water, and swimmers
diving off the blocks with grace and great splashes. Wild
excitement and intensity filled the general air of the UCLA vs.
Illinois meet .
Once the judges and timers marked the beginning of the
competition, all the swimmers pushed off into their events with a
fluidity of movement that demonstrated their serious concentration
and mentality, contrasting with the spirited crowds of Bruin
supporters that cheered them on.
Consisting of 16 events, some with more than one heat, the
team’s second meet of 2002 opened with UCLA immediately
taking the lead. Senior Jen Noddle won the 100-meter breast stroke,
200 breast and the 200 individual medley.
“Jen Noddle definitely had some great swims today, really
showing what the team can accomplish,” head coach Cyndi
Gallagher said. “It seems that the “˜Christmas
Training’ (two weeks of daily, intense practices) we had
during break really paid off in this meet.”
Following Noddle’s lead, both sophomore Kristen Lewis and
junior Erica Shugart took home a pair of wins each in the butterfly
and freestyle swims, respectively.
During each of the event categories, the Bruins kept swimming in
the pool, warming up beyond the lane lines and leaping in again
after finishing an event. The only moments of inconsistency were
the frozen positions the Bruins assumed on the blocks, waiting for
the start. The judges’ unfortunate troubles with the timing
system caused a few delays and breaks.
Undaunted, the Bruins simply rejoined the waters to continue
their fluid swimming.
“Overall the way we performed today really demonstrates
how much our work is paying off,” junior Stacy Kearney
said.
The meet ended with the Bruins beating the Fighting Illini,
174.50-123.50. This gives UCLA a record of 7-2 overall, 1-2
Pac-10.
Gallagher praised the team, but still emphasized
improvement.
“We’ll have Washington State and Pacific next week;
they’ll be going after us,” Gallagher said.
“Today we had good swims, and we just need to be a little
more sharp.”
“We’re in great shape, but we need to get more of an
idea of doing the best we can instead of just thinking, “˜I
win,'” she added. “That’s what we’re
going to work on, coming towards the NCAAs and the
Pac-10.”
Closing the meet, the entire Bruin team celebrated their victory
by gathering together and cheering at another success, and then
wishing Illinois good luck on the Pac-10s.
“Illinois had really good races, and did better than its
past performances. It helped us in our own competitions for a great
meet, and everything we’ve worked on so far in our training
helps us towards becoming faster,” junior Courtney Mayo
said.
The team leapt back into the pool for one last swim and
cool-down, concentrating on competition and doing well next
time.