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Swimming & Diving Blog

A Great Week, and meet Stephanie, Caitlin and Hannah

December 9, 2008

The Simmons Swimming and Diving Sharks just finished out the fall semester with the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Champion title. This past weekend the Sharks competed against six other teams to bring home the 1st place trophy. As a team, everyone swam great times and had competitive races. Numerous swimmers touched the wall with seasonal and all time best times. The divers were strong on both the 1 meter and 3 meter boards. It was a great weekend to come together as a team and compete against strong opponents. The team is looking forward to some relaxation over winter break with some warm weather in Del Ray Beach, Florida for our training trip in January. The Sharks will come back in full force ready to take on next semester's competition!

See you around the pool deck,
Keri Ann and Julia

Now, meet more of your favorite Sharks…

Hi, I'm Stephanie Bitzas and I am a freshman from Westfield, MA. I swim Backstroke and IM. I love swimming for Simmons because of the team. Everyone on the team is so welcoming and wonderful to be around, and they are some of the greatest people I have ever met. They make swimming so much fun, and the atmosphere is always exciting and welcoming, and we just have a great community. Before races, I listen to Paramore, Led Zeppelin, Lil Wayne, Alanis Morissette and everything in between. I love music, bagels, and other swimmers. In Boston, I like to go for walks or go shopping. I really love Barnes and Noble. I also like to go to CAMPUS on Thursday nights with all my friends, or catch a movie. I just love hanging out with everyone in Boston. I'm looking forward to becoming a better swimmer, and to have fun and enjoy being a college athlete. Personally, I want better times. As a team, I just want to have fun and swim fast and enjoy our season!! GO SHARKS!

Hi, I'm Caitlin Urciuoli. I am a junior from Wethersfield, CT. I swim fly and free. I love swimming at Simmons because everyone on the team truly wants to be there, knowing that makes it easy to work hard and enjoy what comes with it. I usually listen to Jack Johnson or something similar before meets. I like that it's easy to get everywhere in Boston and that there is always so much happening but it isn't overwhelming. I'm looking forward to a good season and I'm glad to be back.

Hi, I'm Hannah McQuillan. I am a Distance Freestyle and Breaststroker from Northampton, MA. This is my second year on the Simmons swim team and I love it! I really like how I can be on a competitive swim team and still focus on my academics. We have a challenging schedule and train hard but at the same time we have a lot of fun. The team is very positive, cheering each other on in meets and supporting each other outside of swimming as well. My teammates are some of my closest friends at school. At meets I listen to some calmer music such as Jason Mraz and upbeat techno-y music like Mike Relm and Girl Talk. Right before my race I listen to more intense, pump up music such as Rage Against the Machine. I get pumped for races by listening to "Remember the Name" and I just repeat the lyrics to myself as I swim. I also get pumped by a crowd with a lot of energy, a close meet, or if I have a goal time I really want. I love to wander around Boston with friends, especially if I have money to spend. I really like to eat out so trying new restaurants is always fun. Some of my favorite places in Boston include El Pelon, the Museum of Science, Faneuil Hall, Coolidge Corner, the Garment District, and Legal Seafood's (when I can afford it!). This season I am looking forward to working with our new coach Mindy, really focusing on my distance events, and going on our training trip to Florida in January. My goals for this season include improving my 500 and 1000 times, the team swimming well as a whole, and Simmons placing in the top 10 at New England's this year.