Family Atmosphere Has Swimming & Diving Ready For Friday Opener

This weekend's Ball State swimming & diving home meets are not open to the general public in order to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

Family and friends can follow the action with LIVE VIDEO and LIVE RESULTS

Under the guidance of third-year head coach J. Agnew, the Ball State swimming & diving program has made great strides at the Mid-American Conference Championships over the last couple of years.

Last season, the men's squad recorded its highest point total at the MAC Championships since the 2006 season. The women's side was just as impressive, achieving its best point total since 2014.

When the Cardinals open the 2020-21 campaign Friday night (Nov. 6) at the Lewellen Aquatic Center versus Eastern Illinois (6 p.m.) things may look and feel a little different with no fans able to attend due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, but the goal will be the same. To keep building upon that momentum.

That starts with one thing that has been a staple of the Ball State swimming & diving program under Agnew's leadership; continuing to build a sense of family within the team.

"J. always says love your teammates, respect your teammates," senior captain Cailin Merck said. "I am trying to be a good example of that. I think that's the best way I can be the best leader during these times."

Merck, who logged career-best times in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke at last season's MAC Championships, acknowledges this season has been quite different than her first three. However, she says the program's goals remain the same.

"Our goal is always to move up in the MAC," Merck said. "I think even though this year is quite different, we have come in with the same mindset of working hard and pushing each other. Everyone had different starting points this year, and our coaches were amazingly creative in how they worked with us."

Those sentiments were echoed by senior captain Drew Weeks, who made the B Finals in both the 100 and 200 freestyle at least season's MAC Championships.

"The message has been the same since the first day we returned to practice," Weeks said. "Everyone is in the same spot. We can either choose to make an excuse out of it, or we can come in every day and work as hard as we can to be in a better spot than everyone else. Don't take anything for granted. Make the most out of every single day, almost like it's your last day, so when we are ready to race, we are prepared and there are no excuses."

Weeks also swam the opening leg for the 800 freestyle relay which established a program record time of 6:41.20 at last season's MAC Championships. It was one of seven program records established during the first two years of the Agnew era at Ball State.

While circumstances around training and preparation have certainly changed this year, Weeks is trying to carry over the momentum he built last season and is doing his best to lead by example heading into this year.

"Knowing that none of us have really been here before, this is not like my past three years, I think a lot of it for the younger guys is having someone set a good example," Weeks said. "Having someone come in every single day and working as hard as they can no matter the conditions to set the tone for the team."

Another tone setter for the program is senior diving captain Caitlin Locante. Locante is coming off a strong season herself, as she finished eighth on the 1-meter and 12th on the 3-meter diving board at last season's MAC Championships. While she was able to train a little during the summer, she was able to use the time away from the pool to reflect and refocus on the importance of her senior year.

"Going into my senior season, I think it's so important to have your priorities straight, and that's my team and my coaches," Locante said. "We're athletes for a greater reason beyond just competing in our sports. That time off really showed me that. I think it reminded me of why I dive and why I am here. That is going to help me so much."

Locante was one of the last Cardinals in action last season, competing on the 1-meter board at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, sitting in the top 30 with a score of 242.60 when the meet was canceled in the middle of the third round. She sees a lot of potential in the team heading into the new season.

"We have a lot of great talent heading into the season," Locante said. "I think our team is resilient, and they are going to use that talent. And the fact that we come in as a family, we are going to find that success."

When looking at the program as a whole, Agnew is very impressed with the development of the program despite all the training complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The biggest thing is watching how they have jumped into this together," Agnew said. "Starting the season, we were in a lot of different places. We had some athletes who were in better swim shape than others and had more training over the summer. What I like is how they pulled together as a team. We have progressed at a pretty steady rate. I really feel like these last couple weeks we have turned a corner. We're just ready to go fast and train hard. It's been a process to get to this point, but we are ready to go."

With a somewhat different season ahead of his program, Agnew knows it's going to be even more vital for the Cardinals to stick together as a team, as a family.

"The most important thing about this team is this is our family," Agnew said. "We are in this 100 percent together. Whether you are having a great day or an off day, we are all moving forward together. If we can keep that mission straight, the times are going to take care of themselves."

Ball State University Athletics

Family Atmosphere Has Swimming & Diving Ready For Friday Opener

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Cailin Merck

Drew Weeks

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