Sport Spotlight: Swim — The Crescent

By: Bryn Heikes

Photographed by: Imogene Eagan

After the coronavirus wreaked havoc on their 2020 season, the George Fox University (GFU) swim team was finally able to get back in the water and compete. “It feels great to be competing again!” Kobe Lilio, a first-year member of the team, said.. “Especially for me and my other freshman teammates, it’s our first time competing at a collegiate level. We know what to expect now with the big guns in college.”

For senior Joanna Zuckerman, this season has been a little bittersweet. Although the team will be able to compete, there will be no conference championship. “This season wasn’t what I was expecting. I was looking for a championship meet this year to kind of finish my swimming career with a bang. At the same time, I’m really grateful we’re able to swim this year at all. Having our first meet in over a year, it shows how much I’m going to miss swimming, just having teammates cheering … I’m just going to miss it a lot.”

The meet that initially broke the 365-day dry spell was against Willamette University on March 6th. Lilio raced in the 200 meter freestyle and the 200 meter individual medley, both of which went smoothly. “The main goal was just to go out there and race,” he said.

Zuckerman raced in the 200 meter medley as well, in addition to the 50 meter backstroke. “My times weren’t that great compared to previous seasons, just because we haven’t had a lot of time to train, but I felt good about it,” he said. “The coaches were happy, and I felt strong.”

According to Zuckerman, personal goals have shifted since the beginning of the year. “At the beginning of the season, I thought we might have a conference meet, and so my goals were really time-based and focused on playing top 16 or 8 at the conference meet,” he said. “But my goal of working hard throughout the season has not changed, I still plan to compete to the best of my ability.” Lilio has a similar mindset: “Now the end goal is just to go out there, swim fast, and score points for my team.”

The Bruins will face Lewis and Clark on March 27th.