A look back at a historic season for CSU Swimming & Diving

A dozen school records. Several injuries and ailments to top athletes. Best dual meet record in nearly a decade. Three consecutive losses in the fall. Best single month in the history of the program. It was an up-and-down year for the Colorado State swimming & diving team, but the season proved to be a triumphant one for the green and gold.

CSU finished up a successful 2017-18 campaign with a fifth-place finish at the Mountain West championships in mid-February. The team finished with an 8-3 dual meet record, its best since the 2009-10 season.

CSU opened the season optimistically, winning head-to-head against both BYU and Colorado Mesa at the Intermountain Shootout in early October. At the season-opening meet, CSU was paced by four swimmers that would prove to be leaders all season – senior Rowan Hauber, junior Tonicia Thomas, sophomore Marie Goodwyn and freshman Maddie Ward.

However, the following weeks would be difficult for the Rams, with three consecutive dual meet losses across October and November. The team was plagued with injuries, illnesses and other ailments, but the attitude never wavered. The goals remained the same, no matter how trying the end of fall was becoming.

"I think us coming together for a common goal to either stay the same place at conference or try to improve and just keep that at the forefront of our training and everything… it really set into focus what we wanted to accomplish by just staying level headed and staying together as a team," Thomas, the team's backstroke star, explained.

The challenging end to the first semester was not ideal, but helped motivate the Rams to work even harder. It also pushed more athletes into positions where they would need to contribute on the scoreboard.

"It's not something that as a coach you actively want," CSU head coach Woody Woodard said of the trials his team was forced to face. "You're not looking for the obstacles; if anything, you're hoping you can create some obstacles to train with. Losing those bodies and suffering some tough defeats did set us up on the path for the second half. I think the kids started having the mentality that they could do it no matter who was out on the lineup."

That mentality helped springboard the Rams into what would become a historic month of January.

I think us coming together for a common goal to either stay the same place at conference or try to improve and just keep that at the forefront of our training and everything… it really set into focus what we wanted to accomplish by just staying level headed and staying together as a team.

Tonicia Thomas

CSU 100 backstroke record holder

CSU began its second half of the season with some good news – superstar junior Haley Rowley would be returning to the lineup. That spark, combined with the determination of the rest of the squad, would create something a very special beginning to 2018.

The Rams went to San Diego for a Jan. 8 quad-meet against a trio of MW foes – Fresno State, New Mexico and 2017 MW runner-up San Diego State. Woodard and his squad knew competing at the Aztecs' home pool would be a tricky way to start January, but the hard work from the fall really appeared to prepare the Rams for the challenge.

CSU dominated the day in San Diego, beating all three MW foes straight up for a resounding 3-0 weekend. The typical four of Goodwyn, Hauber, Thomas and Ward led the way, and Rowley was joined by fellow distance swimmers Ida Donohue and Madison Gordley to finish 2-4 in the 1000 freestyle.

The Rams rode the momentum and confidence from the successful San Diego meet through the rest of January, picking up additional wins over Northern Arizona, Air Force and Northern Colorado before the end of the month. The depth of talent that had to be developed in the fall proved valuable in January, with significant contributions coming from a variety of athletes including seniors Gianna Salanitro and Colleen Olson.

"I saw a few of our teammates really rise up to the challenge when a couple people were missing, people really took responsibility and started competing," Rowley commented. "The team really stayed strong throughout the season, and then having a really strong back-end really propelled us into conference."

The mood of the team shifted heading into the conference meet, however. The team limped into championship week with more injuries and ailments. Freshman diver Skylar Williams was dealing with a hip issue and Goodwyn was also sidelined for a couple weeks entering the meet. Although multiple Rams were not in peak condition, they had the right mentality heading to San Antonio.

"Everyone was certainly focused on their events and the team as a whole, but I think everyone was somewhat on pins and needles with the Skylar [Williams] situation and Marie [Goodwyn] situation," Woodard said. "[They were] basically getting cleared the day of the meet to compete and there was just a throng of applause and cheers. People were really excited. I think they're at a point where they're really invested in each other. Each individual wants to be their best for the team."

CSU entered the meet wanting to at least match its previous year result – fifth. That finish was the program's best since 2009, and considering what the team had dealt with all year, seemed like a solid goal.

The first night of the conference championship featured diving and a pair of relays. CSU's preparation going into the meet resulted in a strong Day 1 performance that fueled its drive for the rest of the week.

"It really started before that, in practice," Donohue, a junior captain, said. "I think it was kind of an attitude. We really flipped a switch and I think that a lot of girls' attitudes changed when we realized that we have an opportunity here and that we all really wanted to take advantage of it. It was incredible. It was such a snowball effect. I remember, I think the first night, watching the medley relay, we all just were standing there and we all had goosebumps; I think that's when it started and it just carried on from there."

CSU's swimmers would go on to break or re-break 12 program records over the four-day event. The Rams hadn't had an event winner at the MW meet since Tove tornstrom in 2012, but Rowley changed that on Day 3 in the 400 IM.

WE HAVE A WINNER! @HalesRowley beats the defending 400 IM champion in the event by nearly 2 seconds!@floswimming: https://t.co/IQJPuUuf6R
#StalwartRams pic.twitter.com/EyZN2SiUg7
— CSU Rams Swim & Dive (@CSUSwimDive) February 17, 2018

That same day, Thomas was set to compete in the 100 backstroke. The junior from Las Vegas had been seeking the school record in that event – Breann Fuller's 52.95 -- ever since she first visited CSU. Thomas would go on to win the preliminary heat in the 100 back, posting a career-best 52.94 -- .01 faster than Fuller.

That feeling when you break a school record you've been aiming for your entire career.

?? @toninianne pic.twitter.com/EsgyvurzXA
— CSU Rams Swim & Dive (@CSUSwimDive) February 16, 2018

"Honestly it was the best feeling since I've been here," Thomas said, reflecting on her record-breaking performance. "I set my sights on that record as soon as I verbally committed here my senior year of high school and as soon as I got that record, the only thing I thought about was seeing my name on that board instead of Breann's. It definitely gives fuel to this fire that I have inside of me. I definitely want that 200 [Backstroke] record and honestly, if I can get any other record too, in the other events I swim in, I'll definitely apply that fire there too. It really makes me want to set my goals a lot higher."

The Rams were hoping to put an exclamation point at the end of the championship week, and Rowley set out to add another win in the 1650 freestyle – the longest event in college swimming. Rowley (and some of her teammates) woke up with flu-like symptoms that morning, however, putting her performance in serious doubt. But just like Michael Jordan in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, Rowley put together a swim for the ages, winning the event and posting the second-fastest time in league history.

"At the end, my teammates were all in my face video recording and I was just so glad I finished," Rowley said. "I was in a lot of pain, felt like I couldn't even breathe and felt like I was coughing up a lung most of the time but I didn't even think about that during the race. I just focused on technique and keeping it very consistent and then at the end of the race I was like 'thank God!' I felt like I survived and that's all I really cared about... and then, looking up at the scoreboard and seeing the first place and the second-best time was just the cherry on top."

Goodwyn and Williams persevered through their injuries to perform well for the Rams, too. Goodwyn set a school record in the 200 IM and contributed 96.5 total points, while Williams fought through pain all week to score in the platform dive.

"Walking into the conference, I wasn't the most confident," Williams explained. "Obviously I hadn't practiced in a few weeks because of my herniated disk, but being able to compete even just a few of the events at conference was a big accomplishment for me. I was really happy that I was able to compete and score points for the team."

A summary of CSU's sterling showing at the MW Championship:

12 total school records across eight individual events and two relays
12 total NCAA 'B' cut swims, performed by Marie Goodwyn, Rowan Hauber, Haley Rowley, Tonicia Thomas, Maddie Ward
Fifth-place finish – tied for the best result since 2009-10

Considering the ups and downs that the team faced all season, the Rams proved to themselves – and the conference – that they are a force to be reckoned with.

"My takeaway from the season is that it really put into light how resilient this team is and how we overcome certain things because we went into the season really strong and we got our first two wins right off the bat at our first meet but then we took some really hard losses and that was tough on us mentally and then ended up being tough on us physically too, amping up practices and everything," Thomas reflected. "Then, after that, we just built up so much confidence and we ended up ending the season really well, so I'm happy with it."

"We were really, really happy with the season as a whole," Woodard added. "It was almost a relief at the end because it was such an emotionally taxing year. Because they did so well, especially in the second half of the year, there was definitely an amount of relief and validation that one, we had a really tight unit, and two, as a staff, we're doing the right things in terms of philosophy."

The health of the program is strong. I think one, it speaks to, hopefully, our culture as a team and our ability as a staff to recruit the right type of kids. We have to have the talented and hardworking and positive kids in the program to build on, but it also speaks a lot to what we're doing as a staff and a team and how we challenge each other in certain situations, whether it's training in the pool or at competitions.

Woody Woodard

Head Coach

For the Rams to put together a season like this one, the team needed to showcase its talents, teamwork and togetherness. Those factors should help CSU continue to climb and reach new heights in the coming years.

"I think it helps us set higher standards and it will help us recruit faster swimmers that are more serious about the sport which is definitely going to help our team to show that we are a school to be taken seriously," Rowley said. "You want to be on our team because we have an amazing culture and everyone takes responsibility on this team, everyone gets stronger; mentally and physically, and it's really a team. We're very inclusive."

Woodard is particularly excited about the state of his program, and is optimistic about the future for Rams swimming & diving.

"The health of the program is strong," Woodard said. "I think one, it speaks to, hopefully, our culture as a team and our ability as a staff to recruit the right type of kids. We have to have the talented and hardworking and positive kids in the program to build on, but it also speaks a lot to what we're doing as a staff and a team and how we challenge each other in certain situations, whether it's training in the pool or at competitions. Some people swam and dove above what we thought they were capable of. We are communicating with our incoming kids for next year; here are the expectations, here's what we're doing. Here's where we think you can contribute. We want that message with them the minute we start recruiting them all the way through to their graduation."

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