Idaho will celebrate Mark Sowa’s largest senior class since the swimming and diving coach took over the program in 2011. The Vandals take on the Oregon State Beavers Saturday during Senior Day in the UI Swim Center, where 10 seniors will compete in their last meet at home.
Sowa’s squad goes into Senior Day with a 4-1 WAC record, but the Beavers bring Pac-12 competition to Idaho. Oregon State beat Idaho last year 143-119 at Corvallis, Ore., after the two teams tied in 2012.
“We have to scratch and claw for everything we can get,” Sowa said. “We have to not rely on the Rachel (Millet) and Paige (Hunt’s) of the world, but those third, fourth and fifth-place finishes — we have to battle for those.
“Coach (Larry) Liebowitz … has been around for awhile. He is a great coach. They will be very well prepared coming in here,” Sowa said of the Beavers.
Senior Night is Idaho’s only home meet of the spring semester for the second consecutive season. Pending qualifications for the Zone E Diving Championships and the NCAA Championship Meet, Idaho has five of six spring meets on the road.
“I think the most important thing to show, not only our school but our community, that there is a swim and dive team and we are here to compete,” Hunt said of competing at home.
Hunt will be competing in her last home meet as Idaho’s most decorated diver. She holds Idaho records in all three diving events: the 3-meter dive, 1-meter and platform. Hunt was also named WAC Diver of the Year in 2013.
Another standout senior for the Vandals is Megan Venlos, a freestyler who was part of the Idaho record holding 400-yard and 800 freestyle relays.
“I think we’ve had a great season … We’re swimming consistently really well, we’re racing well and beating people, so I’m excited for this weekend,” Venlos said. “I think we can give OSU a real run for their money.”
The swimming and diving team is also home to the Idaho Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president (SAAC), senior Lyndsay Williams. Williams is another Idaho record holder with the 400 individual medley record.
“I think the seniors are very strong and independent and I think we bring a lot of energy to this team,” Williams said. “I think the biggest thing we’ve done is put our four years together and learning what we’ve figured out through the four years, and carrying ourselves and leading by example.”
The other seven Idaho seniors to be honored on Saturday are Paige Conrad, Mairin James, Melissa Kirby, Sammi Mischkot, Kelsi Potter, Sydney Roberts and Kori Ungaretti.
“They mean everything to us, they really do,” Sowa said of his seniors. “It is so rewarding as a coach to watch the senior’s perspective on things at the end. It’s not so much what the clock says or how many points you score on the diving boards, it’s more how you carry yourself, how you compete, who you are. We talk about taking ownership of your team and of your school. That’s what these 10 have done.”
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]