Sophomor swimmer Angela Newlon.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
Two weeks ago, a select group of DePauw University swimmers traveled to Shenandoah, Texas to compete in the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. Both the men’s and women’s teams returned to Greencastle with solid finishes. The men placed 11th while the women earned a 14th place finish. The men’s side was led by the 400 meter relay team made up of seniors Alex Alfonso and Casey Hooker, as well as juniors Alex Grissom and Blake Lehmann that broke the school record by .02 seconds. In the finals, junior Stephen McMurtry swam in the third spot and helped the relay team finish sixth. The women were led by sophomore Angela Newlon who finished in fourth place in the 500 meter freestyle race and was a part of the 400-yard relay team who finished 13th. The relay, made up of junior Erin Horne, senior Emily Weber, sophomore Kirsten Olson, and Newlon, finished 16th in the preliminary races, but jumped three spots in the finals to finish in 13th. For her contribution, Newlon is Tiger of the Week.
The DePauw (TDP): How pleased were you guys to wrap up the season in the way you did?
Angela Newlon (AN): I believe we wrapped up a very successful season. My teammates and I are proud of the way we represented DePauw at Nationals. We had a 14th place team finish this year, which is one spot up from last year. Our 800 freestyle relay also finished 6th in the country. Achieving All-American and Honorable Mention awards meant a lot to our team.
TDP: Were you pleased with your performance this season?
AN: Even though at times I struggled with some disappointing swims, I was overall very happy with how I performed this season. I was hoping to see more time drops in some of my events, but I still received personal bests in all of them and placed higher at nationals this year. It was a perfect way to end my season.
TDP: What does it say about the swim program at DePauw that both the men's and the women's teams competed so well at nationals?
AN: I think it shows that we are committed to work hard in order to attain our goals. We spend countless hours inside and outside the pool training for this championship meet and our accomplishes highlight a strong dedication for our sport. Although challenging, the swim program at DePauw prepared us for success and taught us how to compete with powerhouse teams.
TDP: With swimming spanning over both the fall and spring semesters, is there a certain point at which the season becomes a grind?
AN: It is a long season, and it can be tough and exhausting training twice a day while trying to stay on top of your school work. But it seems as though each season goes by faster than the one before. This is why I embrace my time as a student athlete and appreciate the wins and losses.
TDP: What are some areas that you can personally improve on moving into your junior season?
AN: I would hopefully like to come in to next year's season more in shape, so I'm going to really focus and train hard this summer. I also discussed it with my coach, and we both believe fixing my stroke technique will help me reach some goals that I had missed this season.