Swimming with Chapman’s fishes: swim and dive team ready to make a splash

The men’s and women’s swim and dive teams are looking to leave their mark this season. Photo from The Panther Archive

From swimming in floaties in the shallow end of your grandma’s backyard pool to lifeguard training in the harsh waters that beach waves provide, there are many aspects of swimming that require such physical rigor. However, there are a select group of people that have the unique ability to move faster in the water than on land. 

The Chapman University dive and swim team is full of talented swimmers and divers who prefer the aquatic adventures of swimming competitively. While still early in their season, the team has been preparing tirelessly in morning practices and weight room lifts, all together as one big family to boost morale while simultaneously strengthening themselves for the endurance that swimming requires.

Ethan Walker, a sophomore animation and visual effects major, is a member of the swim and dive team. His love for the sport has driven him to swim his way over to Chapman’s team. 

“I was never actually very good at the sport, but I enjoyed it anyway. In my senior year of high school, I started swimming much faster than I had ever before,” Walker said. “I decided to continue the sport in college just to try it out. When I came to Chapman, I fell in love with the program. And with a more regimented training program, I started swimming much faster.”

Walker further discussed the similarities and differences between the swim and dive program.

“Even though we compete under the same team, a lot of our program is separate,” Walker said. “We practice separately and often compete separately. Though, there are times when divers and swimmers compete at the same time. Sometimes, competitions will have ‘dive breaks’ in the middle of meets when divers will dive while swimmers take a break. Points scored by divers are added to the overall score of each team.”

Summer Solomon, a junior majoring in communication studies, is not only a swimmer on the team, but also runs cross country. As someone who participates in both land and aquatic sports, she told The Panther how swimming is a great resource for cross training during her cross country season and how it led her to find a home within Chapman swim and dive. 

“During my sophomore year of college, I suffered a stress fracture in my foot during the cross country season that forced me to start swimming again,” Solomon said. “During that time, I rediscovered my love for the sport. The coaching staff noticed how often I was swimming. We got to talking, I shared a bit of my background with them and they surprised me by offering me a spot on the team. I had such an amazing experience that I am on the team again this year, doing my best along the way to balance swimming with running and academics.”

She also explained how she has grown as an athlete while competing in aquatics.

“Every single day, I am pushed by my teammates and coaches to be the best swimmer I can be,” Solomon said. “My teammates and coaches are all very supportive and encouraging and want us all to succeed as individuals and as a team. I overcome obstacles knowing that I have my teammates and the coaching staff in my corner to support me each step of the way.”

Sophomore business major Tia Haughian is a member of the team who has been dealing with a shoulder injury. Haughian swims the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly and 200 fly within the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“Not only is swimming a physical sport, but it’s also a mental sport,” Haughian said. ”During your last 50 of a 200 fly, when your body is full of lactic acid and you're out of breath, pushing through that difficult experience and having resilience in order to complete that race is what’s really going to help you succeed.”

A question that is on most athletes’ minds is how to manage academics, especially during their season. For Haughian, this is not an issue, as long as organization is prioritized. 

“What has really helped me so far is having a giant calendar in my room and writing out every task that I need to complete,” Haughian said. “I find that swimming two hours a day actually helps me stay on track with my busy academic schedule because it’s a designated time where I don’t have to stress about schoolwork and I can just focus on swimming and spending time with my teammates.”