This past week marked the conclusion of the regular swim season for Asbury University’s men’s and women’s teams. The men’s team finished the season with a final record of 2-8, while the women’s closed at 4-6. During the final meet, they took a moment to honor the six seniors whose college careers are coming to a close.
“I think those memories, all four years of being there, just came back to my mind,” said women’s Team Captain and senior Joy Killingsworth. “It was just really fun thinking about the memories we’ve made and there’s always something special swimming at the Luce.”
In addition to receiving commemorative plaques, the seniors were honored with a final relay swim- a symbolic sendoff marking the end of their time competing in Asbury’s pool.
“It was bittersweet for me,” said men’s Team Captain and senior Owen Seymour. “While there’s parts that I’m glad will be over, like the super hard training, I’ll really miss my teammates and my coach because they mean the absolute world to me. They’re family.”
With the regular season behind them, the focus shifts to what’s ahead. Asbury will compete in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships for the first time next weekend. While the event has brought a mix of anticipation and unfamiliarity to the team, Killingsworth is focused on execution rather than results.
“My mindset is really just focused on the small things and not the outcome right now. I’m focused on what our team needs to do and the small details of the racing. It’s a new experience for all of us, so I’m going into it with an open mindset. We’re racing some teams we’ve never raced before,” said Killingsworth.
For Seymour, he’s keeping the meet in perspective and not focusing on the fact that it’s the final competition of his collegiate career. Instead, he’s relying on the energy of his teammates and coach to get him through. He also reflected that the team has had a long season, and this meet will show how they’ve overcome it.
“We’ve had some injuries on the swim team this season. I’ve been able to watch a bunch of my teammates bounce back and rebound. We’ve gone through some tough training periods and some tough meets, but the whole time the team has remained resilient and we’ve made it through better and stronger than before,” said Seymour.
That growth has extended past physical performance. Killingsworth said her development this season has been equally athletic and personal.
“I feel like I’ve grown not just in the pool, but as a person. Coach Graham really emphasizes how we are as a person. My relationship with God has grown a lot this year, being on the team, and being in a position of leadership has really helped me grow as well,” said Killingsworth.
As their careers come to an end, both captains shared the same piece of advice: don’t let anything go by unnoticed. Killingsworth said that while a lot of the season was hard, looking back on it, those were the moments that brought the team together.
“Don’t take any of it for granted,” said Seymour. “Take advantage of it all. The small things- don’t let them pass you by. Let them carry you through and enjoy the little things because it goes by so fast.”
The swim teams will have one last opportunity to make the most of their time together when they compete in the SCAC championships Feb. 11- 14 in Garland, Texas.
