Freshman Brooke Brull gasps for air toward the end of the 800 yard Freestyle Relay Saturday. The swimming and diving team will compete against Drury University this weekend.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The season’s start has left the Kansas swimming and diving team hoping that it’s just experiencing growing pains.
“I think our team has great potential,” Iuliia Kuzhil, Cherkasy, Ukraine junior, said. “We just need a little bit more time to get used to it.”
Kuzhil, who played a key role in the Jayhawks’ 79-45 victory against Nebraska-Omaha Saturday, will be counted on again by coach Clark Campbell in this weekend’s dual meet against Drury University in Springfield, Mo.
Campbell said his team was taking responsibility for falling short of expectations so far.
“We’re not a team that makes excuses,” Campbell said. “We’ve got to start stepping up and overachieve.”
Meghan Proehl, San Diego senior, has led the diving team with a Big 12 Diver of the Week award and a head-to-head victory against Missouri in the one-meter dive. Proehl has also met NCAA qualifying standards in that competition. Despite the slow start, she thinks her teammates just need experience to fulfill their potential.
“I love being part of such a young team because of the energy and enthusiasm they bring on a daily basis,” Proehl said. “Our returners are so solid and each class has fantastic leadership, which is helping us to build a stronger program that I have no doubt will see more success in the future.”
Both Proehl and Kuzhil mentioned the work ethic on both the swimming and diving teams as well as the importance of practice.
“I think we have a great team right now,” Kuzhil said. “Our coaches are doing a great job in planning the practice routine to help us improve, which I think will definitely help us perform at a higher level come conference.”
The sentiment was shared by the divers.
“The team is working extremely hard and it has started to pay off for some, and I know it will pay off for the rest soon enough,” Proehl said. “On the diving front, I couldn’t be more impressed with my teammates. They are all being extremely brave and trying new dives and continue to have positive attitudes at practice, which makes practice much more productive and enjoyable.”
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