UCLA swim and dive adjust for Pac-12s, NCAAs
Junior butterfly swimmer Noelle Tarazona said that UCLA will turn its attention to perfecting the minor details now that the team has swam the last dual meet of its schedule.
(Jose Ubeda/Daily Bruin staff)
By Nathaniel Liebes
Feb. 20, 2014 1:21 a.m.
The training will be less intense, the competitions will be longer, and even the suits will be different for the UCLA swim and dive team for the rest of its season.
The Bruins finished their dual meet schedule with a 165-135 loss to the Trojans Monday and have only the Pac-12 championships and NCAA championships remaining on their schedule.
Because of the fact that their dual meet schedule has ended, the Bruins are in the process of cutting down on their training. Junior butterfly swimmer Noelle Tarazona said this will result in more focus on little details rather than on simply strength.
“We are starting to taper. We are not doing as much yardage, and we are working on the fine details of our races, like perfecting starts and turns,” Tarazona said.
For Tarazona specifically, she will be focusing on her turns and streamlines, but she said it is different for everyone.
The championship meets will be longer as well. Pac-12 championships are four days of competition and take place in Federal Way, Wash.
Freshman diver Annika Lenz said it will be really tough juggling school and traveling. She said she will be missing a full week of school.
“You have to work ahead and think weeks in advance as well as making a lot of arrangements and use your time wisely,” Lenz said.
Adjusted training and different lengths of the meets are not the only things that will be different for the Bruins ahead of the championship meets. They will also be wearing different swimsuits.
According to junior freestyle swimmer Monica Dornick, they are “knee” suits, which, as the name suggests, are swimsuits that reach the knee. This design helps keep the swimmers’ hips up, thus allowing them to kick more.
“You feel faster, like you are cutting through the water more than if you are not wearing them,” Dornick said.
Amid all of these changes, the team is excited and feels as if it’s in a good place heading into these meets, Tarazona said.
“This past weekend was good in terms of how we raced, and I think that the momentum we gained from the meet will carry on into next week and Pac-12s,” Tarazona said.
