by Alex Kearny
Our next swimming preview covers division III program Carleton College, a part of the MIAC conference. Carleton’s coaching staff is led by Andy Clark, who has been with the program since 1993. The team’s highlights consist of competitive teams within the MIAC and the NCAA, while striving in the classroom and being recognized as an All- American Academic team every year.
The Knights lost key athletes to their program last season with many conference meet point scorers who were important pieces to relay teams. “While it is impossible to replace the leadership, energy and skill each senior brought to the teams, there will be plenty of opportunities for returners and new team members and it will be exciting to see what happens” says Clark.
For their upcoming class Carleton has a large group of athletes that will have an immediate impact to the team. The coaching staff is eager to work with the new athletes and are excited about what the next 4 years will bring. Along with the incoming class the Knights have a strong returning group that will fill into leadership positions that they have lost.
Captains Byron Jia, Sam Glaubitz, Josh Wu for the men’s team and Jivana Negpal, Brenna Russell & Sammi Sheridan for the women’s team will have the opportunity to guide the teams throughout the season to build team chemistry and connections to help the program. The team culture at Carleton is one that’s engaging from all the athletes. Support and encouragement towards each other are important to help everyone give their best.
Positivity and fun- spirited athletes make the team enjoyable and complete. “Every one of our team members has an ability to make a positive difference and I think our team members take pride and ownership in the contributions they can make to the program” explains Clark. The staff at Carleton look for some qualities in future athletes that they believe will be valuable for their program. “We look for student-athletes who have high levels of commitment and a strong work-ethic. We also look for recruits who are eager to learn and who are team minded. Being a skilled swimmer or diver matters but having a strong desire to learn and a willingness to contribute to the team’s success is very important” says Clark.
Fitting into and adding to the team culture is valuable in this program. Athletes also need to be hardworking in the classroom, athletes with a rigorous class schedule with AP classes are looked fondly of by the coaching staff.
Carleton has proved to be a unique and successful program. This team is globally represented with a diverse group of student athletes with unique backgrounds that adds a fun environment to the team atmosphere. The team culture embraces this, and it creates experiences that add to connections and friendships that are created. The coaching staff has created a largely successful program that embraces the team culture that makes the Knights a fun and powerful team.