Season Review: Looking Back At The Program's First Year
March 12, 2008 | Swimming
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The first-ever season for the men's swim team will be a memorable one. It will be reflected upon from the first event that took place at the Limestone Relay Meet to the Adam Suggs winning the program's first-ever conference title, helping the team finish third in the inaugural Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association conference championship.
Virtually every time out, a school record was shattered or a student-athlete earned a top-10 time in the program's history. Despite the records that were set and the times recorded, the team established the foundation for a tremendous team for several years to come. With only freshmen and sophomores on the team, the Bulldogs had to be one of the youngest teams – if not the youngest – in Division I.
Although the team was young and lacked experience against older schools, the squad more than made up for it in talent. The raw talent that many on the team have was harnessed by head coach Mike Simpson and his superb staff, which allowed multiple student-athletes to reach the conference finals and earn all-conference accolades.
After dropping a tough 190-184 decision at Limestone to start the season, the young Bulldogs bounced back to dominate CCSA foe VMI the following weekend, taking down the Keydets by a 119-90 score. The victory was the first of a school-record three-meet win streak.
Standing at 3-3 on Nov. 9 after a loss to Davidson, the Bulldogs finished second at the Wingate Invitational and were just a fraction out of second at the Davidson Invitational the next two weekends.
GWU then rattled off an astounding 208-29 win over FAMU on Jan. 5, for what turned out to be the last dual-meet victory of the season for the team. However, that was in part because of its youth but also because GWU faced an extremely tough schedule. The Bulldogs showed no fear, challenging four Atlantic Coast Conference teams – NC State, Duke, Virginia and Clemson – over the last five dual meets in order to prepare for the CCSA meet while finishing with a dual meet mark of 4-8.
With everyone returning, the team will look to build off its
momentum from the CCSA meet. With more depth next year thanks to a
solid recruiting class, the Bulldogs will be on their way to the
top of the league very soon.
