Rowan Men’s Swimming and Diving are prepared to face a unique challenge this upcoming weekend.
In addition to their traditional Saturday meet, the team will also compete in a meet on Friday, Nov. 11. Head Coach Brad Bowser spoke on the type of preparation that takes place in the week leading up to a weekend with multiple meets.
“It’s not very different outside of missing a day of practice,” Coach Bowser said. “We don’t really focus on dual meets, we’re just focused on getting our swimmers better every day.”
For graduate student Kevin Gillooly, all eyes are focused on the end of the season. That is why a more delicate approach this week is the best way to prepare for their most important meets.
“It’s a lighter week of training,” Gillooly said. “It’s a really good way to simulate the end of the year. Big meets are always multiple days… It’s a grueling process, but it’s great for the younger guys as well to give them a feel for what the end of the year is going to look like.”
An increase in high intensity meets means some possible fatigue will start to set in. In fact, Coach Bowser feels that his team will have something to gain from this exhaustion.
“I hope it [fatigue] does,” Bowser said. “Our championship meets at the end of the season are always three, four days long, so we have to prepare for that now.”
Gillooly and company are taking the proper steps to be at the top of their game this weekend.
“We have to do our best to focus on our recovery, getting proper sleep and nutrition, as well as focus on our diet, especially with us having to travel this weekend,” Gillooly said. “It doesn’t matter how hard you train. If you don’t recover, your body will never be ready the next day.
For Coach Bowser, the main thing he wants to see from his team this weekend is perseverance and a competitive streak.
“I’d like to see the team race hard,” Coach Bowser said. “We’re currently battling some injuries and sickness around the team, so some guys are going to be put in uncomfortable situations this weekend, in terms of competing in races they’re not used to. Overall, I’m just looking for some strong swims and strong times.”
Despite these setbacks, Gillooly has faith in the team’s ability to fulfill that wish for Coach Bowser.
“I’m very confident,” Gillooly said. “This week we will definitely have a bit of a different lineup out there, so it will be very interesting to see how we respond. It doesn’t matter what race you compete in, the goal is always to beat the person next to you and beyond. So no matter what Coach throws at us, we just have to respond and dominate.”
A dominant weekend in the pool could certainly boost the team’s confidence. The Profs will continue their quest for a championship on Friday, Nov. 5. against William Patterson University at home, before traveling on Saturday, Nov. 6 to compete against Montclair State University.
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