Sports www.eaglenews.org
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::J8 Z_Xdgj efn \p\ E:88 gi`q\ 9p A\eep If[^\ij JkX]] ni`k\i The FGCU women’s swimming and diving team expects to make quite the splash in its first postseason-eligible season. With the Division 1 transition over, the three-time Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association champions anticipate qualifying swimmers for the NCAA tournament. FGCU opens their season Friday at FIU. The Eagles will also swim at Miami and against Florida State this season. FGCU coach Neal Studd understands the intensity that comes with the D1 opportunity. “It’s hard to qualify for NCAA (tournament),” Studd said. “You’re dealing with some of the fastest swimming in the world, faster than the Olympics.” Studd hopes to get a relay team to qualify; that way he will be able to see a lot more of his athletes compete. Sophomore Christina Tanninen touches on the expectations that come with the title of a D1 team. “I don’t think it puts extra pressure on us, I just think it makes us more motivated to go to NCAAs,” Tanninen said. “I think we’ve definitely pushed it to a new level, and we’re all excited as a group.” In preparation for the new season, team members have been working on just about everything to prepare themselves. They’ve worked on everything from underwater filming, to power tests and blood lactate tests. Studd feels his team’s strength lies primarily in the sprints, which subsequently contribute to strong relays. Tanninen believes that technique is vital this time of year, before the season starts, in that it is the opportunity to fix all of the small things.
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Each meet is a training session in itself. With every event, each girl has something different to work on, which is exactly what the coaching staff is working to conquer in hopes of bringing a strong team together as a whole. Even as they’ve dominated their conference in recent seasons, Studd promises to not look past anyone. “In terms of our conference (CCSA), I don’t think we really have any weaknesses,” Studd said. “We have some pretty young divers and we’re looking for them to step up. We are always looking for new ways to improve. Whether it’s looking at our weight program, or our nutrition, we strive to improve in all areas, all the time.” Tanninen says it is difficult to consistently round up the same motivation and team-oriented focus workout after workout in a individual sport. “As long as we work together as a team (we’ll be fine),” Tanninen said. “A good mentality and a good attitude at every practice goes a long way. Sometimes it’s hard to find the
motivation after working so hard so much, so you’ve got to be on top of it. We all have to work together as a team even though it’s an individual sport.” FGCU also has some big-name recruits coming in, with a freshman class that was ranked 24th in the nation by collegeswimming.com. A key name Studd mentioned is Emma Svensson, a freshmen recruit from Sweden. Her signing was announced Tuesday. Svensson is the Swedish national record holder in the 50 backstroke and is considered the best recruit in the history of the FGCU program. Another swimmer who is expected to excel this season is junior Eva Lehtonen, who transferred from the University of Florida in the middle of her sophomore year. Lehtonen could not speak any more highly of how much better her experience at FGCU has been compared to her time with the Gators. “I love it so much more here,” Lehtonen said. “It’s really a great team and there’s a lot more of a team atmosphere.”
Lehtonen looks toward this season with great anticipation and confidence. “We’ve really stepped up the game this year, and I can even tell that coach (Studd) has stepped up the intensity on us as well. I think we’re ready.” On top of handling a blossoming team of talented swimmers and divers, Studd also attempts to
multitask the care of his new 3-weekold baby. Studd explains that one of the biggest struggles for him this season is getting enough sleep so that he won’t “be so grumpy” at practices. However, he expects the same of himself that he does for the rest of his team, “to leave practice knowing that I’ve given everything I could that day.”
J\Zfe[$p\Xi <hl\jki`Xe :clY i`[\j _`^_ 9p 8e[i\n 9`ee`e^\i JkX]] ni`k\i Many students might not be aware that FGCU has an Equestrian Club. The club, which started in April 2010, is now entering its second full year. Many schools in Florida have equestrian clubs, and because of this, FGCU got the idea to bring a club here. Sarah Lacy, Equestrian Club president, was inspired to join the club due to her love of horses. “I was convinced by the club founder to join, and I’ve been riding horses since I was 8,” Lacy said. The team currently has about 25 members, and practices take place at the Providence Equestrian Center in Bonita. “There are not any set practices,” Lacy said. “Every rider sets up a time for horseback riding or group riding and normally anyone practices one or two times a week.” The FGCU Equestrian Club, which competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, competes in competitions with schools from states such as Georgia and South Carolina. One thing that members of the club are noticing this year is that people who join have never ridden a horse before, which is fine.
“Having the club is a gateway for people to join,” Lacy said. If all goes well, the FGCU Equestrian Club will compete in its first meet of the year in late October. Nicole Wasser recently joined the club. Wasser, who has been riding horses for 12 years, wanted to continue riding when she got into school. “Riding a horse is a natural habit (for me),” Wasser said. “You are away from everything and have no worries.” At the Providence Equestrian Center, where the club practices, the farm provides 27 horses and a track. When the club travels to different farms to compete in meets (or shows), they must use the host farm’s horses. So, at shows, members ride horses that they have never ridden before, which can be a challenge. Schools can bring 18 riders to shows, who compete in different classes. The first class is the hunt seat equitation, where riders are judged on form and how they control the horse. In the flat class, horses do not jump, but riders must ride at different speeds. In the jump class, riders navigate a pre-determined course that the host farm designs. Riders are given a map of the course the day of the show. They
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must memorize the course before the show starts. Scoring is based on a point system. If a rider places first through sixth, they are awarded points. The points accumulate throughout the year, with the top point-getters moving on to
regionals and nationals. There are 10 shows per year. FGCU is listed in Region 5, which involves mostly Southern states. A third rider on the team, Tamara Rile, also encourages students to come out and ride. “Riding is a lot of fun and
horses are an experience within themselves,” Rile said. For those who are interested in getting more information about the club, they can check out the team’s page on Facebook or contact Lacy at salacy@eagle. fgcu.edu.