“It’s exciting to see what our guys are capable of this year,” said Alex Cram, senior captain of the Men’s Swimming team.

Cram and his co-captain, junior Harris Pritchard, said they are looking forward to leading a successful season this year.

“Being a captain has been great,” said Cram. “ It’s been awesome to work with Harris and we have really enjoyed being able to influence some of the decision-making leading our team members to success in and out of the pool,” said Cram.

Pritchard noted that there are not many male seniors on the team this year, so juniors have had to fulfill leadership positions.

“It’s been cool to see the junior class step up as leaders,” said Pritchard.

Both captains are focused on winning the ODAC conference meet and believe that the team has a good chance this year. The team is already off to an exciting start with a 5-0 record, including a big win against Mary Washington.

Pritchard attributes some of the team’s early success to the many new first-years on the team.

“The first-years are really strong,” said Pritchard. “We have some really strong [guys] that give us a lot of depth.”

Additionally, Cram believes that the team’s positive, encouraging attitude as a whole has contributed to the team’s impressive record.

“The main part in this year’s success is good attitudes,” said Cram. “The team is very close knit and everyone wants what is best for their fellow teammates. This mindset has been a huge help to our success at the start of this season,” said Cram.

Pritchard agreed that the team has a close bond both in and out of the pool.

“We like to hang out together,” said Pritchard.

The team enjoys special practices in the pool on occasion, such as their Halloween practice where they play fun games and do group activities outside of the pool, like rope courses designed to promote team building.

Another special team experience is their annual training trip to Miami in the winter.

“Everyone looks forward our training trip in Miami,” said Cram. “We spend a week during Winter Break training outside in Miami. It’s a great experience for everyone,” said Cram.

Cram said that fans also play a role in supporting the team, and he hopes to see the support of students at the next home meet.

“We won’t have another home meet until January, but we love to see people come out,” he said. “So come January, it would be awesome to get some fans to the pool.”

Off to an undefeated start, the captains said that they have high expectations for the remainder of the season.

“We have a really good chance of winning [championships] this year,” said Pritchard.