After nearly a month of practice, the menıs and womenıs swimming and diving teams are back in black and gold, excited for a new season of MIAC competition.

MIAC teams began swimming practice two weeks early this year, though swimmers have been active all fall with captainsı practices. Both teams have many of their top athletes returning, raising hopes for another solid season in the outstanding Ole swimming tradition.

Showing the discipline expected of championship level teams, the Ole swimmers and divers came into the season in shape and began their meet schedule prepared for success.

Head coaches Bob and Dave Hauckıs teams opened competition this past weekend in the annual alumni meet, a relatively informal event allowing former and present Oles to compete against each other and build comaradery. One great thing about the meet is that it allows first-years to get their feet wet in a meet-type setting. "We have some really tough first-years this year, men and women," commented senior Mark Lykins. "Adam Garrett, Jake Hvistendahl, and Lee Thompson all swam well in the alumni meet," he added. All involved had a great time in the meet, but the swimmers and divers canıt wait to jump into their serious competition.

"Everybodyıs looking forward to competing," said senior Christina Soule. "Training wears on you after awhile. Everybodyıs anxious to see where theyıre at individually."

This weekend the men and women travel to the College of St. Catherine for the Tommie Relays, another relatively informal and unscored meet. All MIAC teams will be sending relay teams to the Tommie Relays, making it a nice gauge for the Olesı progress thus far.

And any opportunity to get in the water against another team revs up the Ole swimming engines. "Itıs been a long time just having practice," said senior Emily Taylor. "Everyone seems excited to start competing."

The real competition starts on Nov. 4 when the women travel to Moorhead for a meet against Concordia-Moorhead College and Moorhead State, but a better test could come Nov. 10 when Gustavus Adolphus College comes to Skoglund Athletic Center. The Gusties are the defending menıs MIAC Champions and will post a strong womenıs team as well this season.

But neither the menıs nor the womenıs MIAC championships could be considered a two-horse race, as greater talent disparity around the conference may allow several teams to contend.

"The whole MIAC has improved in general," said Soule. "Itıs a whole new level of competition."

Lykins added that "The conference should be very competitive." Senior Debbie Pagels sized up the competition, saying, "Itıs going to be tough. Carleton is really good again, and Gustavus has good underclassmen, so theyıre good again."

While agreeing on the strength of the 2000-01 MIAC opposition, the seniors also agreed on the strength of the St. Olaf teams, confident that both teams will press for a return to the MIACıs top spots.

The men are only one year removed from a string of 20 consecutive MIAC Championships, and the women have won 12 of the last 14 conference titles. With a history like that, itıs tough to expect either team to wait too long before reclaiming the MIAC title. "I think weıve got the ability to get it back," said Soule. "Thereıs a lot of potential on the team this year, and a lot of the upperclassmen are anxious to compete and have another shot at the MIAC Championship." Thinking back to last winterıs womenıs MIAC Championship, Taylor remembered, "It was so close that either team could have won. I donıt know if that makes it harder or easier to take that we took second, but it makes it exciting and makes people swim well."

Swim well is what the Oles have always done, and this year promises to be no different as both the menıs and womenıs teams stand poised and ready for a new, competitive season and a chance to remount their MIAC thrones.