2006-07 SDW vs. Florida -- Quotes
10/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Michigan Head Swimming Coach Jim Richardson
On the state of the team following a strong performance today ... "I really liked our team dynamic today. Our senior class is leading the team this year and they are doing a terrific job. That is where it starts, with your internal leaderships, and that is really the difference between being an okay team and a very good team. I like the standards they set for each other, and I like what I am seeing with the team right now."
On today's fast times ... "We laid the foundation for success this summer. When you have people finally make the commitment to train honestly for a summer season, it elevates your swimming. You start the each season at a higher level and you're not trying to catch up to where you were. That is very evident with those who raced and competed over the summer in how they did today."
On the addition of freshman Margaret Kelly on the relays ... "Margaret is a very gifted swimmer. We have other freshmen that as the season progresses are going to come to the forefront. We have a very good freshman class and some of them have never dry-land strength trained before so we could see some very dramatic results from some of those people by the time we get to the end of the season."
U-M Junior Justine Mueller
On her results today ... "I am swimming out of my mind right now and I am really excited. I put in a lot of hard work this summer. I think my time was four seconds faster than my time against Florida during my freshman year in the 200 IM. It is very rare to go 2:20 in the 200 breast so I feel good."
On building on today's meet ... "We don't focus so much on wins and losses; it's more how fast we swim. Florida has put in a couple more weeks of work than we have, so we were struggling in the 200s. Everyone is swimming out of their minds and we have a lot to look forward to in upcoming meets."
U-M Senior Lindsey Smith
On today's meet ... "I liked how we were working together as a team, working to swim fast together, and we had a good time. We have a really good team this year and our freshmen are really stepping up. If we keep working hard every day then who knows where we can be at the end. I had a good day and I feel good about myself. I was nervous in the first meet of the season. I just wanted to step it up for my team."
U-M Diving Coach Chris Bergre
On today's diving results ... "Elyse (Lee) did a great job. Ellen (Van Cleve) was right there. She missed (a zone-qualifying score) by a few points, but she did a nice, solid job. Scoring 300 this time of year, I thought Elyse dove really well. The other girls are showing some promise. It is still really early in the year, but we are training well and I am happy with how today went."
On building on today's results the rest of the season ... "Elyse is pretty seasoned and Ellen is starting off strong. It is Ellen's last year and I think she wants to finish strong. She knows what to do and she is going to be a factor this year."
Players Mentioned
