Injuries happen. In every sport, athletes push their bodies to the limit, and because of that sometimes athletes get injured. Both the UNC Wilmington men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have had to overcome some key injuries this season.

“It’s certainly a challenge to overcome as many injuries as we’ve had this season, especially on the women’s side,” said coach Dave Allen. “The men have weathered their injuries pretty well; the women are still working hard to overcome them.”

The way to overcome the challenge posed by those injuries, according to Allen, is to come together as a team and work hard. “It’s really a point of emphasis all season. We focus on working hard all season long, but even more so to be well-prepared for what’s coming up in the championship,” said Allen. “The worst thing that you can do is panic, so we’ve got to know what we want to accomplish, and how we’re going to get over these injuries when going for the CAA championship.”

When getting ready for the championships, Allen begins to taper off the practices. The swimmers have lighter practices to conserve energy and rest them up for the upcoming championships. The tapering should also help reduce the risk of further injuries. “We want to make sure that we are resting both in the pool and out of the pool at this point in the season,” said Allen.

After winning 10 consecutive conference championships, the 11th might seem a foregone conclusion, but Allen doesn’t see it that way. “It’s going to be very difficult for our guys this year,” he said. “There are a number of teams, probably four or five, that could win on the guy’s side this year.

“Is there a good possibility? Yes. Am I going to predict a win? No.”

The teams are grounded, as well, according to Allen. “Our record wasn’t perfect, and losses are never a good thing,” said Allen, “but we have learned from each one, and they motivated the teams to work harder to make sure that wouldn’t happen when it counts the most.”

Allen stresses that they’re not underestimating anyone heading into the conference championships. Allen added, “Overcoming these injuries for the conference championship is really where all of our focus is right now.”