The University of Evansville swimming and diving team didn’t spend their Winter Break lounging around. Unlike most students, who arrived back on campus earlier this week just in time to unpack their bags and begin getting ready for a new semester, the swim team met on January 1 to begin training again.

After a short practice on January 2, the team loaded a bus and began the 15 hour journey to Orlando, Florida where they would be training for a week.

“Everyone was in good spirits, and glad to see each other after a short break at home,” said Evansville assistant coach, Aimee Dunavant.

While in Orlando the team trained twice a day, focusing on a combination of swimming, weightlifting and land-based conditioning. Although the schedule varied from day to day, each day comprised of at least three hours of swimming and an hour of conditioning.  The team was able to train in an outdoor pool while in Orlando, which meant dealing with some colder than usual weather.  During morning practices, 40-degree temperatures kept the athletes in the heated pool as long as possible.

 “We would put on our swim suits and jump straight into the pool so that we wouldn’t have to stand outside in the freezing weather,” said Valerie Jones.

Because of the cooler weather the Aces spent more downtime in the afternoons sleeping rather than exploring the area. “We had a lot more leisure time this year than in previous years, which made recovery easier,” said sophomore Murphy Barry.

After three hard days of training, the team headed for Daytona to compete in the Winter College Invitation held at the Daytona State Aquatic Center. The women finished first at the meet while the men’s team came in third. Although most of the athletes were beginning to feel the strain of the week’s workouts, many Aces posted strong times.

“I think it’s important to learn how to swim when you are hurting," said team captain Derek Bifulco.  "It makes swimming at conference when you’re rested that much easier.”

The annual training trip is often revered by the team as one of the most critical parts of the season. “I think we feel a lot more confident in our abilities after training trip. We worked hard and will see the results in a month,” said Ady Sekely.