Editor’s Note: The Wildcat sat down with junior swimmers Lacey Nymeyer of the women’s team and Albert Subirats of the men’s team. Last week at the Texas Invitational in Austin, Texas, Nymeyer set three new school records – in the 200-yard medley relay and the 100y and 200y freestyle events. For the men, Subirats broke UA records in the 100y backstroke and 100y butterfly events. The two discussed their season so far, what they are looking forward to next semester and their holiday plans.
Wildcat: You both are coming off record-breaking performances in Texas. What goes through you mind when you give that kind of performance? Do you just know?
Nymeyer: Just to break a record here, for this team, for the University of Arizona, is a big deal just because when you get your name on the board that means you’re moving pretty fast, and I don’t think we go into every race saying I want this record, I want this. I just go in there, try to do the best I can, and know at the end of it that my best was one of the best the University of Arizona has ever seen. That’s pretty special, and that’s not something that’s taken lightly.
Subirats: Personally, I try not to think too much about breaking records. I try to go into every event as trying to have my best time. That’s what I want to do every time I swim, but it’s a great feeling to get a school record. In that case, for the people that had those records before … those are swimmers that I really admire, and it’s a great honor for me to be with them.
W: What do you think is different about the women’s team this year?
N: It’s different because we have such a young team. Our bulk is in the sophomores and freshmen. This year we’re really going to have to rely on them for most of our points and the depth of our team. I think that it’s exciting because they come in with new excitement and new enthusiasm, and that just ignites everyone else to get excited about it too. I think that we have a great team atmosphere and a great team coherence between the girls, and I think that’s really going to help us. It’s definitely going to give us an edge over other teams.
W: And for the men?
S: I think our men’s team is pretty interesting. I think we lead off with great captains: (senior Adam) Ritter, (senior) Denton Taylor and (junior) Ivan Barnes. I think the most impressive thing about our team is our freshman class. They really stepped up at the Texas Invite. (It’s) not really easy to come into a meet like that and perform the way they did. I’m very happy for them. They deserve it. They’ve been training real hard for that, and I just think it’s going to be a great year. I think the freshman class has really showed that they’re ready for a big challenge, and I think we’re going to have a good time.
W: This early in the season, what kind of impact does winning the Texas Invitational have on the team?
N: It definitely gives us a confidence, and I think our performances, not just winning the Texas Invitational, but all the amazing individual performances we had were – it’s just the best meet we’ve ever had at this time of the season. I think that only excites us for what we can do (in the spring) season. Also, it kind of is exciting because we still have a lot to work on, and we still have a lot to improve. And it’s good already to still have some stuff to improve on. It’s pretty exciting.
S: I feel the same way as Lacey. I think this meet really gave us a lot of confidence. I used it more as a way to show the team what we’re made of. I really think it was a really good way to try the freshmen, see how they’re doing, and I’m very happy with the way everybody performed, not only in relay but individually. It was a great meet, and the team definitely gets a lot of confidence coming into the NCAA (Championships) and the Pac(ific) 10 (Conference Championships).
W: Do you think you guys gained respect from other teams and other programs?
N: I think Arizona has always been respected in that we have a great coaching staff. I think our coaching staff is very highly respected across the nation, so that’s the aspect I guess we’re not really that much different, but I think we did turn heads. Just by posting the times that we did, I think we just showed the nation that we’re ready to go, and we’re up to the challenge that other teams are going to put up. We’re ready and willing to fight for it.
S: For the men, I think we showed that we have a lot to offer this year. We lost four great seniors last year, and everybody really felt our team was kind of weak after losing Lyndon (Ferns), Simon (Burnett), Dave (Rollins) and Tyler (DeBerry). After this meet, I think everybody was looking at us as one of the biggest threats. We’re going to be out there, hopefully, fighting for the title and trying to get as many wins with some of the best players that we can.
W: What are you guys excited about for next semester?
N: I’m definitely excited to get some more racing in. We have a lot of dual meets signed up, and it’s really now just the fine-tuning part. We’ve gone through the training and kind of the grudge work, and now it’s time to just do the polishing and see how close to perfect we can get. I think that’s really exciting, and that’s something I think everyone’s looking forward to.
S: I keep looking forward to our next swim meet …getting in the best shape I can for NCAAs, keep having fun in the pool. That’s the thing I’m most excited about.
W: What are your plans for the holidays?
N: Definitely to eat a lot, get some good rest. My family’s in town, so I’ll be going and hanging out with them, which will be good.
S: I’m going to visit my family in Spain and just chill there for a couple of weeks and enjoy my family’s company. I haven’t seen them for the past four or five months, so that will be fun.
W: Do you guys have to be back earlier than everyone else?
N: We have to be back the 26th of December.
S: Christmas training – fun, fun, fun.
N: Yeah, that starts Christmas training, which will be…
S: Hell.
N: Yeah (laughs).
S: That’s the best way to describe it.
N: That’s the only way to describe it.
– Interview by Melissa Krueger
