Duquesne Swimming & Diving Prepares For A-10’s With Energized Mindset

As Duquesne Swimming and Diving Coach David Sheets looked across a team that is freshmen heavy, thought about his last couple of years working with leadership coach Jeff Raker and tried to apply what he has learned to set an understanding of what both he and his staff desired the program to be from day one.

Duquesne has twice won the Atlantic 10 Swimming and Diving Championships, doing so consecutively in 2018 and 2019, but Sheets desired a revamp in how he introduced the program to the underclassmen, who collectively comprise more than half of the roster.

It was ensuring that there was personal reflection and clarity message, ensuring this September meeting could easily be understood.

Now Duquesne is poised to transition this into this year’s A-10 Championships, which for the second year will be held at the Hampton Aquaplex in Virginia.

“The turning point was when we had our first meeting and the team understood this is who we are, this is who we want to become,” Sheets determined. “Having the leadership from within the program to help establish that right away. I haven’t had this much fun with a team in probably five or six years. That’s saying a lot. The attitudes that we have. Everyone wants to go to A-10’s and swim well, but what I’m getting from our program is they want to swim well for each other. I think that’s the big changing point in our program from year’s past.”

It was this energy which gave Duquesne a boost throughout the season, all the way into an annual training trip which was Dec. 28-Jan. 3.

This was the chance for nine freshmen to find the balance and fun within the training trip and come back rejuvenated and poised for the stretch run.

As the team departed for Virginia on Monday, Sheets did so with a very clear message. There is no pecking order, and everyone is going to contribute.

Upon looking down the roster, he confidently said that everyone has displayed growth and that only makes the meet even more enjoyable.

“Everyone has to contribute,” he imparted. “Everyone understands their roles. It is not going to be five people contributing with everyone else watching. The 21 swimmers and divers that are at that meet, it’s going to take all of us if we want to compete to win a championship. How you feel is where you need to be at this time. We’re right where we want to be.”

HAVING FUN

Haley Scholer came off a grueling stretch in which she prepared and had the opportunity to go to Indianapolis to swim in 200-meter backstroke at Olympic Trials, understanding that after, the focus was back on training for team success.

Orla Egan joined Scholer in the pool to offer support while getting her work in and as she leaned back in a recliner beside Towers Pool on a seasonal Friday afternoon, she could not help but reflect on swimming and just how different this season has been compared to its predecessors.

Both are seniors, two of five honored on senior day and throughout each’s respective interview, one word continued to shine in each answer.

Fun.

While senior year is normally quite stressful, both have found the positives and enjoyment out of it.

“We’re a freshmen heavy class, so when they see that, they understand and see that it’s okay to enjoy this process and not just think of the stress that goes with it,” Sheets explained. “When you have somebody like Haley and Orla who have been swimming for so long and the underclassmen can see they’re still having fun doing it, it sets the tone for the entire season for us.”

Scholer admits that she had a harder go getting back into it after the summer, because she struggled to just continue swimming. There was a deserved sense of accomplishment and though it felt like that was the end, it was not.

The first couple of weeks were challenging for her, she was not in a good mood, making it hard to come to practices, but was glad she stuck it out.

“Being around everyone else, I was a lot more appreciative of the season than in the past, having been so individualized and realizing how tough that was,” reflected Scholer. “I really needed my teammates, and I didn’t know how badly I needed them until I started training this summer.”

With this being Scholer’s last A-10 championship, there has been an intentional focus on having fun, which directly ties into the confidence she has.

Upon getting out of the water following a taper, Scholer’s energy was akin to someone who had just consumed multiple coffees. She knows she is going to swim fast and there are not many nerves present.

The past couple of months have gone well for her, as she truly likes all of her teammates which she cites as important, because there already is a built-in trust that everyone will give it her all.

After the first couple of meets, Scholer expressed an excitement because the team was pleased with performing well in the meets. Scholer won a best time in one of her best events in the fall. Seeing how the underclassmen performed allowed her to believe that the season could be a great one, a far cry from the fall where the group felt like it was getting kicked around because of rigorous training and academics.

Now two meets remain in Scholer’s career, and she admits to being quite reflective, but also understands that this week is all business.

“I thought about this the past couple of weeks, and I didn’t want to spend my time nervous or sad,” Scholer opined. “I just want to spend the time excited and proud of everything I’ve done. Regardless of how I swim, I know I’ve done my best for my entire career, and it’s kind of exciting. I thought a lot about my swimming career. I just want to enjoy my time. There’s not really any other time in my life where I’ll be doing anything like this at this kind of level. The next couple of days are practicing gratitude and just being appreciative of everything I’ve done and that will keep me posted the next couple of weeks.”

Egan also reflected consistently on the fun, explaining that this is probably the first season where she truly had fun with swimming itself, not having to take it as seriously, rather making it enjoyable.

“The girls, this is probably the best team that I’ve been around,” she opened up. “The attitudes, I’ve never met such a positive group of people. I let myself relax a little bit and just have fun with it and not look at it as a job. It’s something I want to do.”

As she reflected back on the training trip, she recalled how people were truly feeling it, but everyone still found the fun in it.

In her eyes, midseason going into that training trip, everything began to click, something she stated was a first in terms of a timeline, and that has carried on to the present.

Even right after the training trip, the swimmers competed against Akron in a more laid-back meet in which each swimmer’s event would be picked out of a hat. It was an ideal timing after such grueling training, just keep things fun.

“I did my off events I hadn’t done since I was 13 and this was the first time I didn’t have to worry about my events and truly have fun with what I was doing and could pull out,” beamed Egan.

Egan also explained how Sheets comes up with random quotes such as “3, 4, 5 saves lives” and that those silly things matter and keep the environment loose across the lanes.

She had a crucial moment during the season crossing over from being so worried about this being her last season, her last chance. Egan understood that she was putting limits out there and instead go out, see what can be done and accept it.

That day, the October Marshall meet saw the Dukes break six pool records in a 180-177 victory.

As A-10’s now approach, Egan is excited to look up to the stands and see her parents Mary and Jimmy supporting her, knowing that no matter what she does, she has made them very proud.

Of course, Egan wants to go out with a bang, but for her the bang is more about the memories than being attached to a time, once again sticking with the fun element.

“My contributions to the team, what am I going to be remembered for,” she pondered. “How much the sport has just shaped me into the person I am. A time is a time, those memories can’t be replicated anywhere else.”

As both reach the final 100-meters of their swimming careers both Scholer and Egan are grateful for their time with the program.

Swimming averages out to be 40 hours of work a week for each with coming early, staying to do extra and soon that time will have to filled by other interests or work.

Both expressed a sadness, but a clear focus on the last two meets before become “swammers”.

“I think about it often, how am I going to react when I’m done,” concluded Egan. “I’ve never known a life without it, but I always just remember the memories that come with it. I truly can’t replicate any of these anywhere else and I’m so grateful for that. So, I couldn’t have asked for a better program to be a part of.”