The University of Miami swimming team is in the midst of one of its more successful seasons in recent years. Much of this success is a result of senior Elaine Schwartz’s presence on the team.
Recently at the Big East Championships, Schwartz recorded two top-five finishes, including a third-place standing in the 400 IM with a time of 4:17:02.
The elementary education major hails from Mt. Laurel, N.J. and is modest when it comes to talking about her accomplishments.
“I never expected to even make the 400 IM, but that’s what I made,” Schwartz said.
The two-time high school All-American was also heavily recruited by Illinois and the University of the Pacific. A couple of factors led Schwartz to making Miami her choice.
“I really liked head coach James Sweeney a lot,” Schwartz said. “When I came down on my recruiting trip I had a good time with the girls on the team and they were a close knit group which is what I was looking for.”
When mentioning the word Olympics around any athlete, their eyes immediately light up. Elaine’s eyes lit up like the best of them.
“The Olympics have always been a dream since I was little, but right now I am not sure,” Schwartz said.
The coaching staff makes sure Elaine and the rest of the girls keep in great shape as they are on a rigid training schedule. A typical workout is very demanding.
“We usually workout two-two and a half hours a day,” Schwartz said. “Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we workout in the morning for two hours and then in the afternoon we swim and lift for an hour a piece.”
The intense workouts are one of the reasons why Elaine is heading to the NCAA championships this weekend, which are being held on the Auburn University campus.
The Auburn Tigers are the defending National Champions and Elaine hopes that the faster water surface will help her times in one of her final competitions.
“Many people tell me there isn’t a lot to do out at Auburn, but others tell me it’s a great place to be, so we’ll see this weekend,” Schwartz added.
-Doug Kroll can be reached at DStorm13@aol.com