Swimming and companionship are staples in the life of the Panther swim team. And for the eight senior women reminiscing on past competitions and the Midwest Conference championship tournaments is like a backstroke down a Lantz memory lane.

Here is what some seniors have considered to be their most important and noteworthy aspects of the past four seasons.

The competition

The facet of competition as conveyed through this pack of seniors, resonates the laid-back style of head coach of Raymond Padovan and his unchanging, almost concrete regimen.

“We know what he expects form us,” senior Courtney Werbe. “Everywhere he has been about the same.

In preparation for competition these seniors were instilled with, since a young age, how to treat the other teams and in what manners to conduct themselves. It was no different under Padovan or any other coach – have no animosity.

“We basically just respect the other teams,” senior Kate Burke. “And do the best you can.”

With this familiarity the teams had self-motivation and Padovan would step in when he saw fit. For the most part, Padovan could be found pacing the sides of the pool with his stopwatch. He charted each swimmers split time.

“He can express when we need to get our heads together,” Werbe said, “He is really easy going though.”

Competition anxiety has been eased by Padovan throughout the seasons and partly because of his 35 years of coaching, he seems to know just how to get his teams lose and ready to swim.

“He doesn’t push us over the edge,” Herman said. “But he gives us enough.”

The conference

In the Midwest Conference Championships, the final event has been held in Missouri but for the first time it will be held this year at the vast Olympic facility at IUPU- Indianapolis and the Panthers have had good luck this season in that pool.

“It is strange because we won’t have the same traditions as last year, like the hotel we stayed at,” senior Missy Ogle said. “But this year we will make our own traditions.”

The team placed second last year and feels better this year than they have in the previous four years when it comes to having a victory at the Midwest Conference Classic.

“We have the best shot (at winning conference) this year,” Ogle said. “We are all pretty pumped and excited because it is our last meet.”

Senior Michelle Wroblewski agreed but said that they are able to stay extremely focused over the three day span and that the biggest difference between this year and last is that they will be swimming at IUPUI.

There is also a “senior day” planned and all of the teams have a ceremony on Saturday for the departing teammates.

“It’s great, we have our own like the secret fish and spaghetti day, we use them to get us excited about conference”

The importance of this meet cannot be known by the average spectator. Unlike most sports at Eastern, the swimming and diving teams are not eligible for a post season national championship, this conference tournament is the definitive meet of the season.

“It’s exciting, the end of the year. It’s your big chance,” Seliukas said. “It’s what you train for all year.”