'07 To Pace Women's Swimming

Blodgett Pool seems a bit younger, a bit fresher and a lot more promising this year, and it’s not because of anything they put in the water.

No, it’s the freshmen.

Or more specifically, the first-year ladies of Harvard’s women’s swimming and diving team.

In a rare feat, the women’s swimming team was able to persuade all 10 of its admitted recruits for the Class of 2007 to attend Harvard and spend the next four years swimming for the Crimson.

“To have everyone who was accepted come to Harvard was wonderful, but it’s not typical,” Harvard coach Stephanie Wriede Morawski said.

To have 100 percent of admitted recruits decide to attend the College is particularly noteworthy at an institution such as Harvard, which as a member of the Ivy League is prohibited from offering students athletic scholarships.

Typically one or two students who are accepted to the College opt to take a scholarship at a non-Ivy League University, Morawski said, calling this year “a special year.”

Morawski, who said she takes a very “hands-on” role in recruitment, said the task of recruiting top athletes is becoming increasingly more difficult.

“It’s hard to find a balance of those out there who are not only on the national level in terms of swimming but also 1400 and up on the SATs,” she said. “They’re out there, but we have to look for them.”

Despite ever-increasing pressure placed on athletes to commit early—by both scholarship schools and Ivy League institutions with Early Decision programs—Morawski said Harvard takes a very honest, low-pressure approach to recruitment.

“We want those who visit to feel that they can contribute both in the pool and in the classroom,” she said. “If they feel comfortable, then they may decide to apply early. If not, then we tell them that there is no rush. Apply regular action.”

Morawski’s unique approach to recruitment seems to be working, and she is particularly impressed with this year’s breed of freshman swimmers.

“Every year is different and it is still early in our season, but this group of freshmen appears quietly confident,” she said. “They are very coachable and upbeat, but they also love to race.”

According to the first-year swimmers, what most appealed to them was the unique combination of elite academics and competitive swimming Harvard has to offer.

While she admits hers was a difficult decision, “I wanted a good balance of athletics and academics,” said Kelly Blondin.

“Just the chance to go to an Ivy League school and still swim made me choose Harvard,” she said.

“I basically decided that I would go to the best academic school I could,” said Emily Wilson, adding that “there were a lot factors” that went into her decision and that the swim team “definitely had a weight in it.”

Pre-frosh recruitment visits to Cambridge also loomed large in the swimmers’ decisions to join Harvard.

Though she visited other universities, “I got a better feeling when I came here,” Blondin said. “I felt like I fit in more, like this was the place for me. It just felt right.”

Wilson said she felt she would fit in better at Harvard than at the two other schools she visited, adding that “I didn’t really like my Yale recruiting trip that much.”

This past year’s successful recruiting campaign bodes well for the future of the women’s swim program.

“The environment gets better every year,” said junior swimmer Emily Stapleton, who was on the team when it finished second last year and third the year before in the Ivy League standings.

Even Morawski conceded that she is optimistic about the upcoming season, noting that the freshmen look to be able replacements for the eight seniors who graduated last year.

But it is the freshmen who seem to be most enthusiastic.

“We should be awesome,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of strong freshmen, and that definitely adds to the team. We’re looking at an Ivy Championship.”