Blog: The End of My Journey as a UC Davis Swimmer

As we walked onto the pool deck at East LA Community College for day one of our conference championships, we could feel the energy in the building settle over us like a layer of dust. This would be the last time I would competitively swim alongside people who had become not only my friends, but my family. 

The excitement could be cut with a knife. The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Swimming and Diving Conference Championships were about to begin with the 200 medley relay and the 800 freestyle relay.  My UC Davis Aggies would be competing with 9 other women’s teams over the next 4 days.

Day 1

It was 6 p.m. -- time for the meet to start.  Our medley relay team was at the blocks looking intense while the rest of the team stood at the end of the lane ready to cheer.  The starter blew her whistle, and then the buzzer sounded. They were off. First backstroke, then breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.  We took a clear second place in this relay.  The 800 free relay was quite a bit more exciting.  We took second in this relay as well, but only by less than half a second.

We came into this meet not knowing what to expect.  We were the reigning champions, but our rivals, UC Santa Barbara, were still, well, our rivals.  We had BYU and Cal Poly as close contenders as well. 

After the first two races, I had a feeling that first place might not be in the cards for us this year (Santa Barbara won both, and BYU has incredible divers), but it was going to be an intense competition for third between us and Cal Poly.

Day 2

The events swum were the 500 Free, 200 Individual Medley, and 50 Free.  In the morning session, we had some great swims.  I achieved a personal best in my 200 IM and placed 11^th.  Many of us qualified to swim again in finals that afternoon.

In the finals session, Katie took 3^rd in the 200 IM, Hilary was 8^th in the 50 free, and Kayleigh won that event. I ended up taking 13^th with another best time in the 200 IM of 2:04.60. 

Relays always seem to be the most exciting part of the meet.  The relay on this night was the 400 medley relay.  Originally, Lili was supposed to swim the breaststroke.  However, many of us were having a hard time breathing because of the chlorine in the indoor pool, and she had it the worst.  She couldn’t take a deep breath without coughing. 

At the last minute, the coaches decided to take her off the relay and put Morgan on instead.  Morgan had about 10 minutes to get her suit on and warm up.  All of that adrenaline helped her swim lights out! The girls ended up second in that relay as well.

Day 3

We were all beginning to feel the toll the chlorine and days of racing had been taking on us.  The races today were the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, and 100 back.  I swam 100 fly and qualified for the finals, but my time was a little slower than I had hoped. 

In the finals, Megan was 3^rd in the 100 fly and Sara was 7^th. In the 200 free, Kayleigh took another 1^st and Katie took 2^nd.  In the 100 breast, Lili was 1^st and Morgan finished 7^th, and in the 100 back Hilary finished 3^rd. 

The relay on this day was the 200 freestyle relay.  This was the first “A” relay I had ever been on at a conference championship, so naturally I was incredibly nervous and excited.  I was the last person on the relay to swim, and I anticipated the start a little too much because I took off a split second too early.  I knew it right when I began my dive.  Through the entire 50 free I was thinking about it. 

I swam the fastest I ever had in a 50 free, but I had disqualified the relay because of my start.  As soon as I saw the “D” on the board, tears filled my eyes.  I felt like a huge disappointment, but with encouragement from my teammates and coaches, I eventually felt better and focused on the next day.

Day 4

I was tired but excited to swim. This was it, the last day of my last conference championships as a UC Davis swimmer. 

Today the events were the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, and the 1650 free.  I swam well in the 100 free and qualified for finals. 

In finals, Hilary finished 4^th in the backstroke, Kayleigh got her third win and Katie took 2^nd in the 100 free, Lili took 4^th in the 200 breast, and Megan was 4^thand Karley was 7^th in the 200 fly. 

At this point, BYU was in the lead, with Santa Barbara close behind.  We were battling for third with Cal Poly.  We were down by two and a half points.  If we won the 400 free relay, we would take 3^rd.  If we didn’t win, there would have to be a two-place gap between us and Cal Poly in order for us to come out ahead. 

I had the honor to be a part of this relay as well, and had been given a chance to redeem myself.  After the first two swimmers, we were well ahead of the field.  I swam and stayed ahead, and Hilary swam and kept us in the lead. 

We won the relay! I had never felt such a feeling.  We had the boys from UNLV chanting our names and our team congratulating us everywhere.  Walking up to receive my award with my three teammates was definitely a highlight of my 16-year swimming career, and an amazing way to end that career as a UC Davis swimmer.

This group of girls has been my team, my friends, and most of all, my family.  I will always remember the good times, fast swimming, and the journey we have taken together.