St Kate's Swim and Dive Wins MIAC
A Win for All
By Naomi Stewart
Translucent blue water laps onto a wall of white cement. Black lines, though tricking the eye into believing they are blue, run parallel to the length of the pool. Students, coaches and an audience all wait for the water to be disturbed by a ripple or a splash. Once a body dives into the water, the swim meet will officially begin. This is where MIAC starts: with color, swimmers, and a pool.
From February 16-19, the St. Kate’s swimming team fought their way to first place at 2022 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Swimming and Diving Championships. For about a week their picture was featured on St. Kate’s home page and that is when I realized that we had won! (By we I mean, St. Kate’s.) A couple of days later I learned that in one of my classes, there was someone from the swim team! She shared briefly in our class what it was like to swim and from the crease in her eyes that shone through her mask, I knew it meant something to her. So, when I was given the chance to ask more questions I was thrilled. What follows is in brief a summary of what it felt like for first-year Emma Svendsen (Undecided ‘25) to win with her team. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. (All of Emma’s quotes are direct, the surrounding narration is paraphrased.)
Where the journey to MIAC began=
“What did you swim at MIAC,” I asked while typing away on my computer. Chuckling while trying to remember, Svendsen answered: “I swam the 500 freestyle, the 200 backstroke, the 100 fly, and the 800 free relay, and the 400 IM relay, and 200 free relay.” For those wondering, a IM relay is one in which four swimmers swim four different strokes: the backstroke, the breaststroke, the butterfly, then the freestyle.
Svendsen had mentioned in our class that her older sister Hannah was on the swim team and this was her senior year. “Is there any pressure in swimming with your sister?” I asked wondering as the thought of swimming with my siblings instantly fired up my competitive nerve. She kindly answered, “No, there’s not really pressure, cause I mean we’ve been swimming with each other for twelve plus years.”
She then went on to explain that she and her sister swam on their high school team together, again as her being a first-year and Hannah a senior. When they swam then, they won state, so “it was really special that when I’m a freshman now and she’s a senior we also won our conference.”
I next asked her what it was that she initially liked about swimming. Why did she start? “It’s really funny, I hated swimming when I first started. I would refuse to put my head under the water.” I laughed, more shocked and amused. How did she get here, to this win, with something that started as fear? “I don’t know, I just kept going with it… I just kept going,” Svendsen remarked to me. I was struck with how incredible athletes like her are at enduring. The mental strength that it takes to stick with something that challenges you is incredible to see.
Their smiles say it all. Photo Credit: Nathan Klok Photography
Before the end of our conversation, I had to ask “What did it feel like to win?” With a sparkle in her eyes she answered, “It was great. Not just winning… but just being with the team and with all the seniors and having that special moment where we can celebrate our accomplishments together was just great.”
Svendsen helped me see that it wasn’t just her win, it was all of theirs. It was a community effort that they won! While I don't consider myself a sports person, this aspect of community, togetherness, or shared joy, was attractive to me. There aren't many places in our world where this can happen, and apparently a conference championship swim meet is one of them.
At the end of the meet, the sky was streaked with blue. Swimmers have left their mark and now have a trophy. If you look closely, you might think it appears lonely. The end of anything is a sad moment. Yet, in the morning another practice will occur. Swimmers will return to their pool and will work year round for just a moment at a swim meet. After my conversation though, I don’t think the win is why they do it. I think swimmers do it for their community: one that sees them and shares in their joy.
