If you dive into the notion that swimming is just about making waves in the water, you’re (flip) turning a blind eye to where the real work really takes place.
This year, the Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) men’s swim and dive team is set to make a splash with their season strategy. Under the leadership of both coaching staff and upperclassmen, the Hens are keeping a keen bird’s-eye view on their rivals, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Stags, as they diligently gear up to recapture the SCIAC title.
Despite both swim and dive being ‘individual’ sports, the team competes, wins and loses as one. According to Gordan Kenny PO ’25, the team’s supportive environment makes them special.
“[Swimming is] an incredibly like physically rewarding sport and a good one, but I think it’s the team culture that’s what keeps people here,” Kenny said.
According to Joe Dienstag PZ ’26, the team is hoping to focus on supporting teammates both in and out of the water.
“I’d say one of our main goals, that we try for every year, is to have very good team spirit on deck and to have the best on-deck presence,” Dienstag said.
The Sagehens keep up their ‘Henergy’ in a number of different ways. According to Evan Farrow PZ ’24, chants during meets intimidate their opponents and inspire teammates.
“We do team cheers throughout the meet, even during breaks,” Farrow said.
According to Kenny, head coach Jean-Paul Gowdy encourages this. Kenny said Gowdy prioritizes what he called ‘on-deck’ presence, emphasizing the importance of energy out of the water over talent in the pool.
“[Gowdy] always tells us to be the best team on deck even if we’re not the best team in the water,” Kenny said.
According to Dienstag, P-P is very excited about their new freshmen after seven seniors graduated last year. He said they believe that the freshmen will be able to come in and have an immediate impact on the success of the team.
“Shout out to the freshmen,” Dienstag said. “We’re very excited about our newest class. We believe they’re showing a lot of promise.”
Hoping to harness this promise, the team is emphasizing bringing their new freshmen into this tight-knit team right away. According to Adrian Clement PO ’26, helping the freshman fit in is necessary for the team’s success.
“I’ve tried to make a goal of making a freshman this year feel comfortable because that’s an experience I really cherished my freshman year,” Clement said.
Not only are the first-years proving their value to the team, but the seasoned Hens are stepping up as well. According to Farrow, leadership from within is a structural part of what makes the swim team so close. P-P does not have traditional captains; instead, they use a system where all seniors act as captains, something he sees as a major benefit for fostering an inclusive environment.
“It’s not one or two people making decisions or being the ultimate leader,” Farrow said. “One thing that our team is really good with is that we talk to everyone. The first question at each meeting is always, ‘How’s the team doing?’”
The coaching staff put all of these structures into place over the years to ensure the success of the team. However, the implementation of the senior captains system is not the only one that Gowdy has implemented in hopes of helping to foster an inclusive and supportive environment.
“He [Gowdy] uses B.I.R.G., [or] basking in reflected glory,” Farrow said. “It’s being behind people’s lanes and cheering for your teammates and using their energy to help build your energy and stuff like that.”
This idea works well for the team, according to Clement. He said he has come to believe in this method after having seen it work firsthand.
“I always found that my mood got a lot better because seeing my teammates perform well would always put me in a better mood,” Clement said.
Having finished second to CMS for the past three seasons, P-P is currently projected to repeat this pattern, ranked just below the Stags at No. 2 in the pre-season poll. However, according to Kenny, all of the comradery is not the only thing that drives the Hens towards greatness. He said having such a fierce rival in CMS so close by also helps the Sagehens get better.
“I do actually think we benefit a lot from having [CMS] so close by,” Kenny said. “It just makes it more fun than if they weren’t there.”
Because of their schedule, the swim teams have a much shorter winter break, necessitating their presence on campus throughout much of the break. According to Dienstag, winter training is where the team becomes even closer.
“It happens organically; obviously, we’re basically the only people on campus,” Dienstag said. “We spend a lot of our downtime together.”
Before winter training commences, P-P has one more meet. They will compete against rival CMS at Axelrood pool Dec. 1 and 2, an event which, according to Farrow, is highly anticipated from both sides.
“I’m excited for how close it is with CMS this year,” Farrow said. “I’m excited for the competition. I think it’s gonna be pretty good.”
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