Saturday’s swimming dual between Kansas University and Nebraska-Omaha wasn’t a typical meet but more of a short exhibition.
Nevertheless, KU swimming coach Clark Campbell said the team’s 153-67 victory over UNO at Robinson Natatorium served its purpose for the squad’s future meets.
“We talk with our kids about making the most out of every racing opportunity, and it was just another opportunity to race,” Campbell said. “This was important because the meet is at 10 o’clock in the morning, which is the same time preliminaries are at championship meets. So they’ve got to get used to swimming fast in the morning, and they took advantage of that.”
Senior swimmer Terri Schramka welcomed the change of pace and how the meet focused more on sprints.
“It’s important for us to get used to different things,” Schramka said. “The dual meet season is a lot different from ‘championship season’ so it’s good to do different things and just work on our momentum and our energy.”
Schramka won the 200 freestyle as well as the 100 backstroke. She also teamed with junior Maria Mayrovich, sophomore Emily Lanteigne and freshman Lisa Dlugopolski for the best time in the 200 freestyle relay.
Junior Danielle Herrmann also had a solid day, finishing first in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke events. Sophomore Ashley Leidigh chipped in with victories in the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle.
Leidigh also was a member of the top 200 medley relay team with fellow sophomores Whitney Taylor and Emily Lanteigne and freshman Joy Bunting.
“I think the team did very well for the type of format that it was,” Schramka said. “It just really helped that the team was into it and worked well and supported everybody else. So by doing best in your race, you’re supporting the team – and that’s important.”
The swimmer who stuck out to Campbell first, however, was junior Rhynn Malloy, who finished second in the 100 breaststroke and had the second best time in the 200 individual medley behind Bunting.
“She’s somebody that is one of our stronger swimmers in some of the longer stroke and IM events, and I just thought she had a fantastic meet today,” Campbell said of Malloy.
The dual with Nebraska-Omaha capped off a busy two-week period that Schramka said was used as a way for the swimmers to build up their endurance.
“This has been a very challenging eight-day stretch with Mizzou, Arkansas and UNO,” Campbell said. “We had lots of racing, and the idea is to get better every week, and I thought we took another step forward today. It’s been a challenging stretch, but our team has managed to be very successful in this challenge.”