Rams Come Out of Weekend Looking at Positives

LARAMIE, Wyo. – Coaches have to be able to adjust, which is what Christopher Woodard has had to do consistently this season, one which is barely a month old.

There were old injuries to contend with, new ones to counter and it seems somebody on his roster is going to walk into the pool daily with an illness of some sort. There have been situations away from the pool for some members of the Colorado State women's swimming and diving team to contend with, too.

So all he asked of his team on the second day of the weekend's double dual with Wyoming and Washington State at Laramie High School was to fight, to battle, to be whatever their peak was this given day.

"I think they fought to the best of their ability today, but I'm going to expect a lot more out of them at conference," he said. "We're going to battle with health issues throughout the fall, so it's going to incumbant upon us to train through the holiday breaks, keep our attitudes together and really start crushing it when we come back."

The Rams dropped both duals – 214.50-132.50 to the Cougars; 202-151 to the Cowgirls – with one more competition before the holidays.

The butterfly continues to be a strong event, as Julia Box, Jennae Frederick and Amanda Hoffman finished 2-3-5 in the 100-yard fly, a day after Box won the 200. Box was also second in the 50 free, just a touch ahead of teammate Sydnee Whitty.

Those were the best individual finishes for the team, but the close was strong for the Rams. Marie Goodwyn took third in the 400 individual medley, the first crack the team has had at the event this season.

She knows the sport can be stressful, but the senior is really needing the pool to be an oasis for her this season, and she feels it working. It's helped her escape, and even though her attempt was painful, it still felt wonderful.

"I was excited about the opportunity, especially before a prelims-finals setting. It didn't feel very good, but it felt nice to be able to step up on the blocks and swim for the team," she said. "I felt like I was able to hold on to the strength of my stroke a lot more and pay attention to the fine details. We so 400 IMs at practice, but typically those are repeats and it's easy to get lost in the details."

One of a very important note did not evade her coach – she had a smile on her face as she climbed out of the tank.

Woodard knows when Goodwyn is enjoying the work and the sport, her confidence and results shoot skyward.

"That's the key to her success. If she feels happy and confident, then she'll start to move. I think more than anything else I see technically, she's starting to regain her underwaters, and that's kind of what she's known for. If she can push those underwaters in a 400 IM, that's a great sign."

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Another one was simply seeing Maddie Ward in the water. Coming off a pair of offseason surgeries, the holder of three school records was given a host of options, the main one to redshirt. She crossed that off immediately, setting a goal to be in the water for this meet.

Even though she knew she wouldn't be at her best, she wasn't happy with her races, but admitted even the competitor in her has to be realistic.

"It's hard to go from winning a Mountain West championship to barely being able to finish a 200 breaststroke," Ward said. "I mean, I'm glad to be able to compete. Now I know what I have to work on, so I think it's better to be here.

"After this weekend, I know my technique isn't there, especially after not swimming breaststroke for six months. I really need to start from square one, and that's really hard for me, to go back 10 steps. It's all about technique."

She placed seventh in the 100 breast on Saturday, with teammate Kate Meunier taking fourth. Where she saw flaws in her form, Woodard also came away with hope for what's possible when the calendar flips to February.

"I was encouraged from the simple standpoint that I know she'll suffer through the pain, so I never worry about her being able to handle that," he said. "I worry more about how it's going to affect her stroke technique, and for the most part, I felt it really held together really well. I'm more encouraged, and she went to a two-day meet and swam four events and held up with the technique, because it's been awhile since she's been able to swim."

The Rams also produced a runner-up finish in the 200 free relay, coming in at 1:36.42, highlighting the potential he feels the event holds for his squad, with the foursome bookended by a pair of freshmen.

None of the Rams were thrilled to trail on the scoreboard, but as they exited for home, they packed with them the idea better days are definitely ahead. They're starting to believe the worst is in the rearview mirror.

"I feel confident in the heart that we're all bringing, and just the spirit everyone has for each other," Goodwyn said. "I think this season has been hard. There's been a lot of road blocks, outside of the pool especially, and it felt like today everyone stopped carrying about those."

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