Swimming is a tough sport, arguably more physically and mentally demanding than others. For every one yard swam, a runner would need to run three just to equal the amount of energy burned. To put that into perspective, the 50-yard freestyle is the standard sprint in swimming and a fast time for women is only around 25 seconds. To burn an equal amount of energy, a runner would have to sprint 150 yards in the same amount of time.

The toughest part of swimming isn’t the actual swimming, but rather it’s fighting your mind’s endless cries of pain and exhaustion. With such a combination of hardship, it’s no wonder that the women who swim at Guilford aren’t only exceptional athletes, but exceptional students as well. Take for example the team’s captain, senior Genevieve Holmes.

As a double major in both Music and English, she’s lettered for three years, been on the Student-Athlete Honor Roll three years, been an editor for the Guilfordian, and studied abroad. Despite her academic workload, Holmes manages to swim the 50-yard freestyle in 26.77 seconds, ranking her eleventh in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) for the 50-yard freestyle. Putting that into perspective, the top time for the 50-yard freestyle is 25.45, held by Julianne Miata of Washington & Lee. Only one other woman swam the 50-yard freestyle under 26 seconds, according to the ODAC website. Holmes, who also swam in high school, has been trying to get her time down to 25 seconds for the past six years and hopes to finally break that barrier at this year’s championships.

The team shares Holmes’ dedication toward both academics and athletics, as evidenced by sophomore Justine Merritt.

In her first year at Guilford, Merritt, a Mathematics and Music double major, set five school records. She has proven her versatility and speed as a swimmer, having broken the previous records in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle, the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard Individual Medley relay (IM), and the 100-yard backstroke.

Look at Guilford’s records for the 200-yard IM and you’ll find that Merritt holds four of the top five times. Considering the IM race consists of a lap of each of the strokes back-to-back, it’s obvious this sophomore is just warming up.

While the team is mostly comprised of first years, the veteran talent of Holmes, and co-captain senior Amanda Oehlert, who has also lettered three years, provides a stable backbone for the new talent to develop. Nicknamed “Linebacker” for her dedication and penchant for heavily iced shoulders, Oehlert, a French and English double major, not only set a school record for the 500-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke, but also managed to build an impressive resume of extracurricular activities, honors, and awards.
Oehlert, who’s main events are the 200-yard breaststroke and the 500-yard freestyle, doesn’t swim just because of the workout, or the team’s camaraderie, but also because she simply loves it.

“If I don’t swim for two weeks, I go crazy,” Oehlert said in an interview after the team’s home win over Emory & Henry on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

Oehlert is a three-time Dana Scholar, a member of the Guilford College Scholarship Society, a member of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, a recipient of the Dorothy Lloyd Gilbert Award, the American Sign Language club president, a resident advisor, a student marshal, a three-time Academic All-ODAC honoree, and a five-time member of Guilford’s Student-Athlete Honor Roll.

Helping with her vast amount of extra-curricular activities, Oehlert noted that being on the team “makes you very disciplined and incredibly organized,” and that “To-Do lists help a lot.”
With most of the team being new to the organization, Holmes and Oehlert both feel that having a team full of underclasswomen is almost better.

“Usually new people drop out after the first two weeks, but this year we’ve only lost two,” Holmes said.

With eight practices a week, the first few weeks can seem daunting, but each swimmer is only expected to attend five.

“Some have been doing double practices every day, which never happened that much before,” said Oehlert commending the underclasswomen. Oehlert also noted that Coach Steve Kaczmarek’s “Academics come first, always” policy helps in balancing athletic and academic responsibilities.

New talent also means more competitiveness, as the first-year swimmers tend to be still grounded in the intense competitive nature of high school swimming.

“When you get to college (the pressure and competition) doesn’t matter much,” Holmes said. “I love swimming because it can be just as much an individual thing as a team thing; there’s no pressure to win your events.”

What it all comes down to for these true student-athletes is the joy of swimming.

“The prospect of dragging yourself to practice at six in the morning sucks, but it’s worth it,” said Holmes. “If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t be here swimming for two hours every day.”

While there were few spectators at the team’s final home meet this week, the excitement of the races spread throughout the pool house. Emory & Henry, while only fielding six swimmers managed to give Guilford’s larger and faster team a decent challenge. Guilford pulled out a win, however, bringing their overall record to 7-4 and 3-2 in the ODAC.

Seniors Molly Meserve and Annie Irving were extremely excited because “Genevieve Holmes swam so fast, that a tsunami formed in our hearts.