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Inside Lehigh Swimming with Jon Wesfield

Jon Westfield is a junior on the Lehigh Swimming and Diving team.  A Design Arts major, Westfield was a member of the 400 free relay team that finished second versus West Chester and Army in 2008.  Westfield also competed at the Patriot League Championship and posted a top-20 finish in the 50-free.  During his freshman season, Westfield posted a top-20 finish in the 100 backstroke at the Patriot League Championship.  Check back soon for his latest update.

Bouncing Back – January 21
As we reach the last month of the season, we are becoming more and more eager for Patriots. Finishing the semester strong, the team is eager to continue to succeed in their studies and finish the season on a high note. I am happy to announce that both the men and women had a very productive semester thanks to late nights in the library and time management. With a new academic semester ahead of us, we look forward to a fresh start to not only continue to succeed, but also push our academic goals to the next level.

The last couple of weeks have been incredibly busy. After a rushed meet at Marist, where both teams suffered a loss, we bounced back against Army. Despite a loss on the men’s side, our perseverance and drive to race against a high caliber team was evidently clear. Standouts included Dan Johnson, who swept the sprint events, and Ben Dearden, who was outstanding in the fly events.

The women did an excellent job, solidifying a win against Army, regardless of pre-race calculations and expectations. Erin Tormey started the meet off on the right foot, holding her own against a talented diving program. There were many standouts, but much credit has to go to the 2-3-4 finishers, who acquired the much-needed points to pull off a victory.

We are very excited to swim versus Bucknell this coming weekend, which traditionally promises to provide key races.  After this weekend, the team will begin tapering in preparation for Patriots. A lot of physical training has gone into the entire season, and through our trust in our coaches and ourselves we are confident we will shatter personal goals and turn heads at Patriots.

TO RETURN TO THE LEHIGH STUDENT-ATHLETE BLOGS HOME, CLICK HERE.

End of the semester - December 19
After a long and strenuous couple weeks, everyone has finally finished all of their exams. Whether it be exams, papers or presentations, the whole swim team was focused on completing everything thoroughly. Along with the energy put into their studies, the whole team was very responsible in making practice and staying in shape during this awkward training period. The winter break will be a great time to relax and take our minds off of school work for a while.

We eagerly look forward to the end of break when we will be traveling to Florida for our training trip. Having the chance to train at a different facility will be a nice change for many people on the team, not to mention the nicer weather. However, aside from a trip to Disney World, it will mostly be all business. Traditionally this week is the most intense training period of the season. Everyone will be able to concentrate solely on swimming without the usual stresses of studies and the daily routine. It will be everyone’s’ responsibility to stay in shape over break so they can make the most of their time in Florida. As the last few meets approach, every practice will count in developing faster times.

TO RETURN TO THE LEHIGH STUDENT-ATHLETE BLOGS HOME, CLICK HERE.

Sweep - November 26
The men’s and women’s swim team cleaned house at the Ruef Natatorium last weekend. The meet was filled with positive energy as everyone geared up for their races. Everyone came ready to compete and, from the start of the first race, times began to drop faster than the current gas prices. We did not worry about times or splits. We simply swam competitively, looking to touch out our competitors. This was key to both victories.

Stand out performers on the men’s side included Dan Johnson and Kevin McGrath, who placed first in their individual events. On the women’s side, freshmen Alena Pollit and Priscilla Barletta earned victories, as well as second and third place points, to keep the Lehigh momentum going. Liz Murray also had a tremendous swim, earning a victory in the 400 IM. The win was a great start to the Lehigh-Lafayette weekend and was a true testament of this season’s hard work.

Earning time off on Sunday, we returned Monday with the familiar Fight Gone Bad workout. Through drive and teammate support we were able to push ourselves to the breaking point and reach new and improved results. Fight Gone Bad is a great opportunity to push through self doubt and achieve the confidence to set higher goals. With a win over Lafayette and a team building challenge like Fight Gone Bad, our team is ready for the much needed Thanksgiving break (while still keeping in shape at home). We will be looking ahead as our training trip approaches in January, where the true training tests will begin.

TO RETURN TO THE LEHIGH STUDENT-ATHLETE BLOGS HOME, CLICK HERE.

There’s No Place Like Home – November 10
There’s no place like home after a strenuous two away meet streak. The men’s and women’s team have had a long and challenging week. Beginning a week ago with our meet against Colgate, we concluded this past weekend’s competition with a 4-2 record for the men and a 3-3 record for the women.

Although the men’s team has traditionally accomplished overpowering wins against Colgate, this year proved to be more of a challenge with the improvement of Colgate’s upperclassmen and the arrival of talented freshman. While Colgate shined in the distance events, we made up for it in the backstroke events. With the meet dangerously close, the men secured the win with a strong victory in the 400 freestyle relay.

Although the women went up against last year’s Patriot League champions, they held their own and put up a good fight. Erin Tormey was flawless in the diving events, sweeping both one-meter and three-meter. Men’s diving was also impressive with notable scores. Both diving freshmen, Connor Styles and Ryan Helfrich, have shown incredible improvement as they develop new dives and perfect their current strong ones.

Our meet against Rider was a great learning experience for the team. Despite a loss, we truly realized the importance of blocking out the uncontrollable distractions and focusing on just racing. On the women’s side, Julie Sicherman and Alena Pollitt finished within tenths of a second of one another to capture first and second place in the 100 fly. On the men’s side, we were able to show our diversified talent, but it was hard to make up the points captured by some of Rider’s all-stars.

Although we felt a little defeated, there is no better feeling than returning to our home at Jacob’s Pool. Surrounded by the support of friends and family, this energy is exactly what we needed to bounce back. NJIT is a developing program with a lot of potential. Although they lacked a large roster, their team was very respectful and showed tremendous determination. Hearing the cheers of the crowd and teammates was exactly what our team needed to build back our energy and look ahead to the significant second half of the season.

This spirit will be crucial as we head towards our meet against Lafayette, where we expect to continue a winning tradition on the men’s side and reclaim a winning tradition on the women’s side.

TO RETURN TO THE LEHIGH STUDENT-ATHLETE BLOGS HOME, CLICK HERE.

Great Start – October 27
Both the men’s and women’s seasons opened with strong wins against Providence and Holy Cross. These two meets were unique in that we competed against both teams within a 24-hour period. Although this may seem exhausting (it was), having the meets back-to-back was a great way to get a taste for the normal routine at Patriot’s. One of the challenging aspects of Patriot’s is getting your body ready to race despite half a week of competition. Not to mention preparing our muscles to race after a long bus ride. So putting aside the tiring conditions, it was an essential experience.

Despite a loss, nothing but positive reactions came from our meet against West Chester. Looking beyond the team’s impressive accomplishments, we came ready to race and defended Jacobs Pool with pride. The meet ended with a narrow victory for West Chester, who scored just four points ahead of us. However, to be quite honest, the score is not what stands out in my mind. There were some really impressive swims across the entire roster of the men’s team.

Freshman Chris Toth pushed himself to the limit in the 1000 freestyle. His powerful kick allowed him to maintain control for most of the race. Finishing second, there was no disappointment felt by the team as we witnessed a teammate leave everything he had in the pool.  Other highlights included Ben Deaden’s win in the 100 fly, Kevin McGrath’s wins in the breaststroke events and Angelo DiGiacinto squeaking by, in lane one, for the 100 backstroke win.

This weekend marks a very important meet for the men’s team as we prepare to face Colgate. Competing against Patriot League teams always brings out the competitive side because it gives a sense of what to expect at Patriot’s. Although we had a strong win against Colgate last season, we realize it will be no walk in the park. With the team improving and the addition of incoming freshmen, Colgate will definitely be ready to race. We will need to bring the same attitude we exercised against West Chester to solidify a strong win.

TO RETURN TO THE LEHIGH STUDENT-ATHLETE BLOGS HOME, CLICK HERE.

September 30 - Fight Gone Bad
Everyone has finally adjusted to their schedules now that practice has started full-time. Morning practices are tough to get use to, but it seems all the freshmen have become accustomed to the early morning wake ups. It’s hard waking up to that alarm clock at 5:30 a.m., but the workout really gets you energized for the rest of the day.

However, even with that boost in the morning, I still hit a brick wall around 1:00. Thus, I have taken up napping. It is my new favorite hobby and it seems to be rapidly catching on with the rest of the team.

With all of the practices, classes and assignments we must attend to each day it is extremely important to write things down. I recently picked up one of those academic planners and can honestly say my life has been changed. If I could offer any advice to the freshmen, it would be to buy one of these planners. With all the commitments and responsibilities, there is no way to remember everything relying solely on your memory. There is even a supply of different colors to choose from in case I have not convinced you already.

In practice, we are past the first week of getting in shape and are now entering the more demanding stage in the season. This past weekend we participated in a workout known as the “Fight Gone Bad.” There is some long story behind it, but long story short, it’s really hard. The whole team each went through a timed circuit incorporating every significant swimming muscle. After the workout was over and the last group had finished, it became clear why it was called “Fight Gone Bad.” The workout really brought our team closer together because you could see everyone putting everything they had into each station. This marks the beginning of a challenging season, but with these challenges will come great accomplishments. We look forward to our upcoming first meet when I will have more swimming related news besides napping.

TO RETURN TO THE LEHIGH STUDENT-ATHLETE BLOGS HOME, CLICK HERE.

September 4 – Getting things started
It seems as though time moves faster after each additional year. This summer flew by partly due to my busy schedule. Along with taking three classes, I worked as a waiter where I leaned a great deal about time management, communication, and the effects of food allergies.

Being back at Lehigh has been great so far. Everyone has been adjusting to their new living situations with some moving into new dorms while others moved off-campus. Despite these changes, it is nice to see that many things at Lehigh have stayed the same. The long lines at Rathbone, the sound of the TRACS bus, and the overly friendly squirrels were all greatly missed this summer. However, the best part about coming back to school is seeing my friends and hearing about their experiences over break.

Along with being reunited with my friends and teammates, I was able to meet the incoming freshman. The freshman class is crucial to the Men’s Swimming team this year as we look to break through the top three position at Patriots. Through attending captain’s practices the past two weeks, I can confidently say this year’s freshman class is both talented and diverse. However, it will take a team effort to accomplish our goals and this means that many people will have to step up and push themselves to the next level.

Out of the pool it is nice to see the freshmen adjusting to the team. Within a few weeks they seem to already feel comfortable knocking on my door to hang out with the upperclassmen. I urge them to take this time to relax and get ahead in their studying because the start of the season is right around the corner. As captain’s practices come to an end and morning practices begin, they will soon realize the importance of napping, studying, and eating. My teammates, along with myself are really excited about this coming year as we look forward to new experiences and accomplishments.

TO RETURN TO THE LEHIGH STUDENT-ATHLETE BLOGS HOME, CLICK HERE.