After winning their 11th consecutive CAA championship, one would expect that the UNC Wilmington men’s swimming team went wild in celebration. According to coach Dave Allen, though, the scene isn’t what you would expect.

“Really, the celebration is about the same every year,” Allen said. “It’s certainly not a party or anything like a college kid would expect a celebration to be.” The championship meet lasts three days and takes a toll on the athletes, which is the reason why, according to Allen, the celebration consists mostly of “eating Subway sandwiches and then sleeping within 20 to 30 minutes of finishing their dinner. Our celebration, really, is sleeping on the bus.”

This year the excitement may have lasted a little longer than other years, because of the anticipation and suspense that built up throughout the event. “This year’s championship was much closer than any of the others have been,” he said. “There were three or four teams that easily could have taken the men’s championship, and it really came down to the last day.”

When asked which moments from the 11 stand out the most, Allen said this one will, because of how close it was. Allen also said the first title will always stand out. “It was something we had been striving for, and when it happened, it was special.” Allen said. “Dan Gallagher was on that team. He was phenomenal. He did so much for us when it came to sprinting and the relays.”

The trip down memory lane was short-lived with Allen though; he quickly switched back to talking about this year’s team. That focus on the future could be part of what makes Allen such a successful coach.

“This year, our backs were to the wall. We needed a rally on the last day, and they pushed themselves and did what they needed to do to come out with the win,” said Allen. “It was really special to see such a young team–half of our team are freshmen–perform to that level.”

With such youth on the roster, one can’t help but think the streak has a good chance to continue. Allen won’t make any such assumption, though. With a sense of humility typical of Allen, he decided the term for a team with 11 straight championships isn’t dynasty. He didn’t call it domination.

He said their 11 consecutive championships should be called fortunate. “We’ve been very fortunate each year to come out on top, and every year it’s something new and something special,” said Allen. “It’s never something we go into expecting to win, because there are always very good teams that we’re competing against.”

Allen’s humility is admirable, but here at The Seahawk we feel someone needs to point out just how ridiculous this championship streak really is. To put it into perspective, here’s what was going on in the world the last time the UNCW men’s swimming team didn’t win the CAA championship:

US President: George W. Bush

Highest grossing movie: Ocean’s Eleven

Average gas price: $1.52

Highest-rated TV Series: Friends

Sexiest woman, according to Maxim: Jessica Alba

Sexiest man, according to People: Pierce Brosnan

Additional notes: Wikipedia launched its website, The Fairly Oddparents and Invader Zim debuted on Nickelodeon and the first Harry Potter film was released–only four of the books were completed.