Dropping cats into water can be difficult — just look at the Northwestern men’s swimming team last year.
In addition to finishing last in the Big Ten conference, coach Bob Groseth retired from a 20-year career, leaving the team in need of a new game plan.
“Last year was a shock to some of [the swimmers], because the expectations changed a little bit,” head coach Jarod Schroeder says.
To adjust, Schroeder tried to recruit new freshmen that could bring Northwestern to the top. Ten freshmen now account for almost half of the 22-member team.
Two of the newcomers have enough awards between them to stock a trophy room. Ross McAuliffe, an 18-year-old from Shapwick, England, is a two-time national British champion in the 4×100 freestyle relay. Dominik Cubelic, a 19-year-old from Glenview, Ill., is a two-time Illinois state champion in the 50-yard freestyle and set a national record with his 200-yard freestyle relay team.
The freshmen must adapt from a 14- week high school season to six months of competition in college, but upperclassmen on the team are eager to help them adjust.
“There’s a lot of racing in practice,” Cubelic says. “The older guys set the tone in practice and call out younger guys when they’re not working hard enough.”
The team is the smallest in the Big Ten and must catch up from Northwestern’s late term start in September, but Schroeder makes no apologies for the pace of practice.
“We’re throwing them to the wolves right now,” he says. “At this point they have to be sharp in everything they do.”