Conversation with the Aggie Swimming and Diving Coaches

Feb. 25, 2009

 

Talk about Nikita Denisyako's eligibility issue this season…

Head Coach Jay Holmes: It's not Nikita's fault we had to do it this way. It's just part of the way the NCAA is, there are rules there for a reason. We thought we had a great case for an appeal and our compliance officer did a great job writing it. We were just thrilled it came through. It was definitely the right thing to do and we're just thrilled to have him back.

Throughout the year, you have talked a lot about your training strategy and how it should all lead up to this point. What are your thoughts on that now?

JH: We have goals we have to get accomplished and the dual meets are there to help us accomplish those goals and prepare us for championships. We have a group of guys that have bought into this concept. They understand the madness. Everybody forgets November if you have a good February and for us to get a group of guys to overachieve at conference championships, there is a certain amount of work that needs to get done. We don't know how fast we are going to swim at Big 12s; we just know we're going to swim fast. These guys are ready and they know they've just got to be the best that they can be.

What do you expect to see from Texas this year, the defending Big 12 Champions?

JH: Texas doesn't have a lot of weaknesses anywhere. When you have a team like them in your conference, by the time you get to the NCAA's, it's not that big of a deal because you've already been racing teams the caliber of Texas. We are looking for a real dogfight.

Eric Sehn spent Valentine's Day weekend at the Canadian Nationals. How did the competition prepare him for championships this week?

Head Diving Coach Kevin Wright: Eric is in a great place right now. He did very well at the Canadian Nationals. Being able to participate in a competition such as that gave Eric the opportunity to focus on technique. The divers have the energy right now to be able to really focus in on their timing, shapes and form. In the first few weeks of training, they spend a lot of time in the weight room building strength. As February moves on, they work to adapt and convert that strength into useable power and quickness. Here as we are entering championship season, it's almost 95 percent mental.

What can we expect from Sehn, a nine-time conference titleholder?

KW: He is a lot of fun to have at competitions because you can rely on him. He steps up to the plate and gets a hit every time. He hasn't quite had a home run yet, but I'd rather have a guy that hits a double or a triple every time than a guy that just has one home run his entire career. When the lights are on, you can count on him to step his game up.

Talk about Cam McLean, what is his priority going into Big 12 week?

KW: His main focus is to qualify for the NCAA's this year and to be able to dive in his first NCAA Championship at home. He has already made the Canadian National Team (after diving well at the Canadian Winter Senior National Championships). He will be diving at the Canada Cup, which is a huge international meet. He will also represent Canada in one of the Grand Prix, either in Fort Lauderdale or Madrid, Spain. In order to qualify for that, he had to meet the international point standard, which is 400 or more, and that was a significant milestone for Cam. He has come a long way from a year ago when he scored 100 points less than now. He has improved a tremendous amount in a fairly short period of time.