WSU has taken a break from the meets recently and put their noses to the water for these two weeks in between. Having just come off facing California, the team is looking to improve their standings.

“A top ten team coming in is always tough but compared to where we were the first time Cal came in, we are much improved,” head coach Matt Leach said. 

The team is already showing tremendous improvement from seasons prior and stepping up their game against nationally ranked teams, however, it may not be enough to put very many points on the board against Stanford. 

Stanford is ranked second in the nation for women’s swimming and is sure to put up a fight against anyone who stands to race them. 

“This week is our hardest week for training, so right now we’re not getting in a ton for recovery, we’re really trying to push the envelope,” Leach said.

The swimmers are putting in intense work as they know that these past weeks are as hard as they are going to train all season. 

“This week we are trying to focus to build that endurance and speed that we need for the meets, not only coming up next weekend but our midseason meets,” junior Kiana Swain said. “This week is kind of hell week.”

Having a back-to-back meet will be a good test of the swimmers’ resolve and their tenacity in the water against their opposition. However, the team is staying in a good mindset and good light.

“I’m really excited, I think with our team this year I’m very positive that we can compete with Stanford,” junior Kaya Takashige said. “Last year we didn’t win an event which I’m sure that this year we can come back and compete.”

The team is incredibly optimistic about this daunting task but their goal is reasonable. Putting points on the board and earning first in a few events is enough to satisfy themselves when walking away from this meet. 

“I think the team is the best place that it’s ever been this far in the season,” Swain said. “So I think we can get up and race Stanford and see where Stanford is at and see how much we need to be able to bring it back with them, so yeah I’m excited.”

Though Stanford is sure to come out on top, Colorado is where the swimmers really stand a chance to compete and win their meet.