The Texas A&M Women's Swimming and Diving team has repeatedly shocked the nation over the past few years.
The Texas A&M Women's Swimming and Diving team has repeatedly shocked the nation over the past few years. In 2013, they transitioned from the Big 12 to the SEC, arguably the fastest and most challenging league in collegiate swimming. That same year, they were among the top four teams at the NCAA Championships for the second time in school history. The team was in contention for the conference crown from 2013-15, and the Aggies finally accomplished the feat in 2016, defeating the six-time defending SEC champions from the University of Georgia.
The Aggies did not stop there. After finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships for four consecutive years, the ladies won the bronze in 2017 and 2018. The Texas A&M women have won the last three SEC Championships, and placed in the top four at NCAAs for the last six years. It has been an incredible run for the Aggies.
2016 SEC Champions
2017 SEC Champions
2018 SEC Champions
Somehow, the Aggies were underrated – and under the radar -- for much of this season. The Aggies will be in for a tight battle at this year's SEC Championships. According to the coaches' top 25 poll, A&M is projected to place ninth at this year's NCAA Championships. But after their consistent success over the past few years, will the Aggies' recent history of dominance truly be threatened? Some of the Texas A&M women's swim and dive coaches and athletes have their own ideas about how the end of season meets will go down this year. It starts this Tuesday at the SEC Championships, held at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.
Head Coach Steve Bultman and Associate Head Coach Tanica Jamison spoke of the unparalleled hard work the team has displayed.
"I think the girls have put in a lot of good work," said Jamison. "I'm pretty confident in our abilities to do well. How well is up to them."
Bultman said the team has impressed him during the last few months going into SECs when the "work ethic picked up."
Diving coach Jay Lerew told a similar story of the divers this season. "Our work ethic is very strong," Lerew stated. "We have a new weight coach that's done wonders with us."
The athletes agreed wholeheartedly. Team Captains and SEC Champions Sydney Pickrem and Alaïs Kalonji noticed many of their teammates who have taken their training to a new level.
"A lot of people have stepped up their training," Pickrem reported of her fellow swimmers.
Diver Kalonji observed a new team dynamic.
"We work harder," noted Kalonji. "We are supportive of each other, and we have a really good environment."
With the current senior class having been on the team for A&M's first SEC title, the athletes and coaches remember what it was like to be the underdogs and to have the competition stacked against them.
"When we [won SECs for the first time], we made history," Pickrem remembers. "Now it's become a norm. It's embedded in us. We want to make it normal that we're champions."
Coach Bultman recalled the excitement of the meet and how proud he was to see different people step up when needed. Coach Lerew looked back at the divers who pulled through at the end to add the extra points.
The team admitted that this year was bound to be a tighter battle, but confidence remains in their ability to come out on top.
"We just need to get on the blocks and go get it," asserted junior and SEC Champion Anna Belousova. To secure another SEC title, she believes all the team needs to do is "believe in the work they've done and believe in the coaches."
Pickrem acknowledged that "a lot of people are doubting us because we graduated such a great class," but she claims that "a lot of people have stepped up."
Senior and team captain Raena Eldridge isn't worried about the competition. Instead, she welcomes it.
"I know that it will be more of a challenge this year, which is what makes it more exciting," acknowledged Eldridge. "When it's a close fight, you feel prouder about what you accomplish. There's more value in it."
It's been a successful season so far for the Aggies, winning nine out of 10 duel meets and already qualifying at least seven for the NCAA Championships in March. That number gives A&M the second most qualifiers in the country.
SEC Champion and team captain Claire Rasmus accredits this success to the strong team support she's noticed this year.
"We've been pretty tired at some dual meets," Rasmus admitted. "But I've seen the girls really support each other and step up and race fast for the team."
Some may see A&M as underdogs, but the Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team goes to this year's SEC Championships with full confidence.
"I think we're going to put it all together and give each team a good run for their money," Jamison assured. "If the girls work on those small details, I think we're going to give ourselves the best opportunity to come out with a victory."
Watch your Fightin' Texas Aggie Women's Swim and Dive team compete for their fourth straight SEC Championship title starting Tuesday in Athens, Georgia. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Taylor Pike is a sophomore English major from Bentonville, Ark. Pike was a part of the Aggies' 2018 SEC Championship team and went on to earn honorable mention All-America honors in the 200-yard butterfly at the 2018 NCAA Championships.
