Today was the final day of competition at the Horizon League Swimming and Diving Championships. After three days, I thought I had my expectation in check, and I did, until the evening rolled around.
When I got to the Flames Natatorium this morning, it felt a little like the previous three days. Fans scattered (themes were simple today: school colors) around the Nat, and athletes warming up. When we got back in the evening about an hour before the finals started, I knew the night would be different. I could hear teams and fans cheering when I was walking upstairs to the bleacher area of the Nat. (And I thought exactly what you would have thought: "Who told them I was coming? And what will the be chanting for my big entrance?" Come to find out, they were cheering for the swimmers.) Teams were gathering earlier for their chants and cheers and motivational speeches.
Before the event began, the seniors from each team were announced. It was nice to see them all on the "bridge" together being recognized for their dedication to the sport and their teams.
Finally, day four was under way. Mind you, for the women, Green Bay had a 70 point, plus, lead. Nothing was definite, but they had some good individuals representing them for the evening. In the men, everything just looked too close to call. UWM led, but CSU was in a close second, trailing by less than 20. UIC came into third trailing CSU by 27. And Wright State was fourth. It was going to be as close as last year, which was exciting for me.
The night didn't let me down and the teams didn't either. We saw several more great races, crushed records, and of course an exciting relay to end it all, wrapping it up in a package for the fans to take home. A great experience of competition and pure athleticism this week from these athletes.
Congratulations to the women of Green Bay, who are driving back to Wisconsin with their sixth straight team title. And another congratulation to the men of Milwaukee, who, also driving back to Wisconsin (Milwaukee obviously), are taking home their first championship since 2000. (They haven't been champions or runner-up during that time span.)
I'll have a full recap of the event for you on Monday with some insight from a few of the big athletes that found great success this past week.
Tags: Horizon League - Swimming and Diving
