Freshman names occupy the most roster space for the majority of UNM sports, and women's swimming and diving is no exception.
There are only three seniors on the UNM swimming and diving team this season.
"My freshman year, we started off with like 23 swimmers and divers," senior Alison Bushkill said. "Now there are three of us."
Head coach Bill Spahn said recruiting athletes is much easier now than it was in the past. Spahn has been leading the Lobo swim team for 22 years.
"The first couple of years it was harder to recruit and now it's getting easier," he said. "So that's why we've got more freshmen. Also we're getting better, so we're getting more girls who want to walk on and be part of the program."
Spahn said the swim team doesn't lose a lot of team members, but he said he has lost some of this year's senior class.
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"They quit because they were unhappy," Spahn said. "We're always going to lose a few because it's a hard sport. You've got to be dedicated, especially if you're not going to swim in many meets."
There are 30 women on the 2003 swimming and diving roster, but Spahn said only 18 can compete at each meet.
The swim team goes through rigorous daily morning and afternoon workouts.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the team swims between 5,000 and 7,000 meters each day.
"They are in fantastic shape," Spahn said. "We run, we lift weights, we do pushups, pull-ups and we climb rope."
The swimming and diving team has spent weeks preparing for the Cherry/Silver meet, which will be today at Johnson Center.
Although the first official competition is not until early November, this intersquad meet will give each athlete a chance to practice in a competition-like setting. This will be an especially valuable opportunity for the 21 underclassmen on the team.
Besides Bushkill, the two other senior swimmers are Tracey Berghian and Heather DiLuzio. Berghian is a diver, while Bushkill and DiLuzio each compete in breaststroke and freestyle events.
Even though there aren't many juniors and seniors, Spahn said the swimming and diving team is not lacking leadership. He said the team veterans are able to teach the freshman and sophomore athletes from their own experiences.
"Their being here four years is going to help all the younger ones," he said. "They're good role models."
Bushkill said swimmers, like all athletes, must have a love for their sport.
"You have to love it or else you wouldn't get through it," she said.
Bushkill said she thinks the number of swimmers in her class has dwindled because it is too demanding for some students.
"It's too hard for a lot of people," she said. "Sometimes people transfer because of academics, but I think the main thing is they couldn't take being a college athlete."
