Swim & Dive started their season off on Sat., Sept. 28 as they jumped in head first, rewriting the Concordia record book with their performances at the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Relay Meet. To prep for the PCSC Relay Meet, Swim & Dive hosted their highly anticipated annual Green vs Gold Intrasquad meet on Sept. 20.

Green vs. Gold provides an opportunity for Swim & Dive to build up their Golden Eagle spirit, dress up, build team morale and participate in friendly competition against each other. Freshman Brinkley Hallgren said, “Green vs. Gold helps to kick off the season in a positive and exciting way. It allows the team to build connections and create good friendships with each other while still being competitive!”

It’s clear that this annual competition helps bring the team together, because a week later theGolden Eagles marked some incredible finishes together. The women’s side finished in second place, behind conference rivals, Azusa Pacific. The men’s side came out of the pool on top after taking down the defending champs, TMU.

In the women’s 3x100 breaststroke, relay trio, Alex Leland, Brinkley Hallgren and Ellie Hardey turned on the jets and finished with nine seconds to spare, breaking the previous school record by four seconds. Hardey, a senior, is going into her fourth and final year as a Golden Eagle. “My mindset going into our season opener was to have fun and race. I never want to put too much pressure on myself, senior year is all about having fun for me,” she said. “Since it was a relay meet, it provided another great opportunity to build camaraderie with my relay teams and cheer on my teammates.”

More names entered the record book as Leland, Alice Stainer, Aubrie Carver and Hannah Edwards raced in the 4x50 free relay with a time of 1:40.66, breaking the previous school record by 1.3 seconds. Stainer said, “The beginning of the season is always great because of the high energy and excitement. I think our team does a great job of bringing the energy and effort every time we compete.”

In her collegiate debut, freshman Chloe Dobie made exponential marks for Concordia Dive in the 1m and 3m competitions. Dobie now ranks fourth in both events for Concordia history. Dobie said, “My mindset for my first collegiate diving debut was to have fun, not put so much pressure on myself, and to enjoy every moment of it because I won't ever get this time back.”

The men’s team won six total relay events, the 3x100 butterfly, 3x100 breaststroke, 500 step, 4x100 medley, 4x50 free and 4x100 free relays. Sophomore Mitchell Cullen was a standout athlete this weekend in the 500 step after he made a 1:47 split in his 200 free as he propelled through the water to make the astonishing comeback for the Golden Eagles and secure the win.

Cullen said, “Every time I dove in the water I just told myself to go for it and see what happened. The main goal was to beat Masters and have some fun while doing it! And we did just that.”

Concordia Swim & Dive has always radiated a winning atmosphere and an authentic, familial support within the team. Stellar athlete, student and person, Ryan Burke graduated a year early last spring and during her time competing for Concordia Swim & Dive, became one of the best athletes to compete in program history.

A few weeks before we came back to school in August, Burke was involved in a tragic car accident that left her hospitalized for weeks, and rattled the lives of her family, friends and loved ones. 

While Burke continues her road to full recovery, the reality of this dire experience prompted the Swim & Dive team to honor the spirit and legacy Burke left at Concordia after graduating and support her in the recovery process. The Swim & Dive team made bag tags with a photo of Burke celebrating in the pool that reads the mantra, “Be Ryan Burke Tough.”

Hardey said, “Ryan is one of my best friends...She has made a long-lasting impact on the team as a great leader and a determined hard worker. She constantly motivated others and made sure no one ever swam alone. One of my favorite things she did was whenever we were in the middle of a hard set, she would yell into the gutter to get everyone pumped up. I plan to follow in her footsteps and do my best to show up every day with a positive attitude, encouraging others and leading by example.”

Swim & Dive will continue to show what it means to be “Ryan Burke Tough” as her teammates continue to honor her Concordia legacy and take her on their journey this season.

Tags: Swim and Dive

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