Colorado State University Athletics
Owenby, Gordley Embrace the Distance for Rams
11/8/2019 10:56:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
CSU trailing Wyoming, Washington State after one day
LARAMIE, Wyo. – This was the easiest day yet.
Just the mile.
There was not another race of major length to follow Friday, which was different just a month into the season. For the first three weeks, Colorado State's Abbey Owenby has taken on the 1,000- and 500-yard freestyles in the same day; Madison Gordley has done it twice, so far.
For them, it has become part of their college routine, something they had to adjust to coming out of high school, where the longest race was the 500 and coaches didn't have them swimming it every meet to avoid burnout. Club, that was different, as the mile and 500 could become routine, but likely not every meet.
So CSU coach Christopher Woodard goes out seeking the right blend of mental and physical strength to build the distance portion of his roster.
"I think what you always hope from distance swimmers is they look forward to the challenge," Woodard said at the close of the first day of a double dual with Wyoming and Washington State at Laramie High School. "In the past, I've seen some swimmers cringe when the see the 1,000-500, or when they see the mile is going to be added. For the most part, our girls see the 1,650 and think, 'I'll be eager to do that and see what I can do.' They want to go far, and they want to go long."
Owenby certainly does. The longer the race, the better. Open water swims she loves, and doesn't mind the fish or the occasional body contact.
Friday, she placed third as she swam the 1,650 free for the first time this season, clocking in at 18:03.45, and with an altitude adjustment, it will be around a 17:39.05. It's not a best time, but it wasn't supposed to be the first time out. What she has now is a foundation to build on for the remainder of the campaign.
"I felt pretty good," said the sophomore who placed 24th last year at the Mountain West Championships in the event. "I went out confident and just wanted to have fun and see what I could do before midseason. I took it out very consistent, and I need to just focus on my middle 500 and holding that and staying confident throughout the race."
She looked at her splits and saw the 33s came up on the 32s too soon. Gordley, a junior who placed 16th at conference, as well as 23rd in the 500 free, finished eighth in a time of 18:30.76.
She, too, has her starting point, but those past placings also give her a great mental handle on what comes next and how to handle the time changes she's going to see. Not every race out will be faster than the next, and that adds to the mental task.
"I think especially after last year, where I went so much faster at conference than I had all season, I was, 'OK, I can do this, I can go so much faster,'" Gordley said. "It's so easy to let one bad meet tear you down mentally for weeks, months, whatever. I think if you can learn from it, and know every meet is different with different weeks of training behind you, so it's not letting the past weeks dictate the upcoming weeks.
"I struggled a little during (last) season, but at conference, I felt good about that. Coming into this season, I'm hoping I can go faster. It's exciting."
They challenge each other, as do Madison Hunter and Hope Jestes, and that's encouraging to see for Woodard, who calls it a very positive and supporting group.
Make no mistake, the two-day spread of this meet was welcomed by both, knowing the two long races would be split up (the 500 comes Saturday). That also makes taking them on at conference so much better.
They both had to get over the initial shock of the training, but the key for both has been to embrace the long yardage and the slow build to what both are hoping will turn into fantastic finishes.
For that, the repetition of long days is worth the pain.
"Honestly, you just get used to it," Owenby said. "The training, the coaches have made me feel super comfortable doing it each weekend. Yes, there are jitters, but I do get excited, especially to race my teammates."
The Rams came out of the first day trailing both teams on the scoreboard, but the 200 butterfly offered some inspiration for the final day. Julia Box (2:06.21) and Jennae Frederick (2:07.23) finished 1-2, with teammate Amanda Hoffman fifth (2:08.99), giving the Rams their biggest point total of the day.
Marie Goodwyn (who earlier won the 100 individual medley, an exhibition race), placed third in the 200 IM (2:08.24), with teammate Katelyn Bartley fourth (2:10.60). Elsa Litteken was fourth in the 100 back (58.65), and Kate Meunier was fourth in the 200 breast (2:24.46), a race which saw the individual debut of Maddie Ward.
Ward won the conference title in the race last year as a sophomore, a season which saw her take down three school records. She swam a leg on the 200 medley relay to start the day, but is just getting started, with a handful of full practices coming off a pair of offseason surgeries.
The divers competed in both of their events on the day, with Skylar Williams taking third on the 1-meter with a season-best score of 264.00, with Rachel Holland fourth (225.83). They finished 4-5 on the 3-meter.
Saturday's schedule starts at 10 a.m.
Just the mile.
There was not another race of major length to follow Friday, which was different just a month into the season. For the first three weeks, Colorado State's Abbey Owenby has taken on the 1,000- and 500-yard freestyles in the same day; Madison Gordley has done it twice, so far.
For them, it has become part of their college routine, something they had to adjust to coming out of high school, where the longest race was the 500 and coaches didn't have them swimming it every meet to avoid burnout. Club, that was different, as the mile and 500 could become routine, but likely not every meet.
So CSU coach Christopher Woodard goes out seeking the right blend of mental and physical strength to build the distance portion of his roster.
"I think what you always hope from distance swimmers is they look forward to the challenge," Woodard said at the close of the first day of a double dual with Wyoming and Washington State at Laramie High School. "In the past, I've seen some swimmers cringe when the see the 1,000-500, or when they see the mile is going to be added. For the most part, our girls see the 1,650 and think, 'I'll be eager to do that and see what I can do.' They want to go far, and they want to go long."
Owenby certainly does. The longer the race, the better. Open water swims she loves, and doesn't mind the fish or the occasional body contact.
Friday, she placed third as she swam the 1,650 free for the first time this season, clocking in at 18:03.45, and with an altitude adjustment, it will be around a 17:39.05. It's not a best time, but it wasn't supposed to be the first time out. What she has now is a foundation to build on for the remainder of the campaign.
"I felt pretty good," said the sophomore who placed 24th last year at the Mountain West Championships in the event. "I went out confident and just wanted to have fun and see what I could do before midseason. I took it out very consistent, and I need to just focus on my middle 500 and holding that and staying confident throughout the race."
She looked at her splits and saw the 33s came up on the 32s too soon. Gordley, a junior who placed 16th at conference, as well as 23rd in the 500 free, finished eighth in a time of 18:30.76.
She, too, has her starting point, but those past placings also give her a great mental handle on what comes next and how to handle the time changes she's going to see. Not every race out will be faster than the next, and that adds to the mental task.
"I think especially after last year, where I went so much faster at conference than I had all season, I was, 'OK, I can do this, I can go so much faster,'" Gordley said. "It's so easy to let one bad meet tear you down mentally for weeks, months, whatever. I think if you can learn from it, and know every meet is different with different weeks of training behind you, so it's not letting the past weeks dictate the upcoming weeks.
"I struggled a little during (last) season, but at conference, I felt good about that. Coming into this season, I'm hoping I can go faster. It's exciting."
They challenge each other, as do Madison Hunter and Hope Jestes, and that's encouraging to see for Woodard, who calls it a very positive and supporting group.
Make no mistake, the two-day spread of this meet was welcomed by both, knowing the two long races would be split up (the 500 comes Saturday). That also makes taking them on at conference so much better.
They both had to get over the initial shock of the training, but the key for both has been to embrace the long yardage and the slow build to what both are hoping will turn into fantastic finishes.
For that, the repetition of long days is worth the pain.
"Honestly, you just get used to it," Owenby said. "The training, the coaches have made me feel super comfortable doing it each weekend. Yes, there are jitters, but I do get excited, especially to race my teammates."
The Rams came out of the first day trailing both teams on the scoreboard, but the 200 butterfly offered some inspiration for the final day. Julia Box (2:06.21) and Jennae Frederick (2:07.23) finished 1-2, with teammate Amanda Hoffman fifth (2:08.99), giving the Rams their biggest point total of the day.
Marie Goodwyn (who earlier won the 100 individual medley, an exhibition race), placed third in the 200 IM (2:08.24), with teammate Katelyn Bartley fourth (2:10.60). Elsa Litteken was fourth in the 100 back (58.65), and Kate Meunier was fourth in the 200 breast (2:24.46), a race which saw the individual debut of Maddie Ward.
Ward won the conference title in the race last year as a sophomore, a season which saw her take down three school records. She swam a leg on the 200 medley relay to start the day, but is just getting started, with a handful of full practices coming off a pair of offseason surgeries.
The divers competed in both of their events on the day, with Skylar Williams taking third on the 1-meter with a season-best score of 264.00, with Rachel Holland fourth (225.83). They finished 4-5 on the 3-meter.
Saturday's schedule starts at 10 a.m.
Players Mentioned
BACK
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FREE, FLY
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FLY
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FLY, IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FREE, IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FREE
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
DIVE
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FREE
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FREE
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FREE
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
BREAST
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
FREE
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
BREAST, IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
DIVE
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