The past weekend of October 1st- October 3, I was invited to visit the campus of Eastern Michigan University (EMU). I was very excited about this trip because our old teammate Dylan was there and that it was actually the second chance I would have to visit this campus. During the summer, my dad and I took an unofficial visit to good ole Ypsilanti, Michigan.

 

The town itself has a good hometown appeal with an awesome Burger joint and great mall. What more could I want? The campus is a good size and very pretty. I felt it was not so big, but would be easy to get around on a daily basis. From RDU, I was lucky to have a direct flight into Detroit, so it was just a short hour and a half flight. The universities that invite you will cover your travel expenses for the weekend, so your job is to see and learn as much as you can, and enjoy the opportunity, which I did!

 

At the airport Coach Sarah and Dylan, whom I was very excited to see, greeted me. Once we arrived on campus, I met the head Coach Peter Linn and our hosts. They were all very nice and excited to see us. When I say us, I was one of four recruits in for the weekend. After we got everything straightened out, we headed out to eat lunch and tour the campus. My host showed me around the whole campus and told me about how much she loved it there. Then I had a meeting with one of the professors in the Computer Science Department. He talked to me about the program, my interests in it, and I even got to go see the computer labs. The computer labs were put in the library, which I thought was kind of weird, but they told me how the building they were supposed to be in was being renovated. This is good news for me because that means there will be whole new building full of new classrooms when I start classes. Then, we headed over to watch practice.

 

For their practice that day, they were having a nutritionist meeting. Afterwards, they watched videos on how to improve their backstrokes and freestyles. After surprisingly, Coach Peter let them out early, without even swimming. Then all the girls and the recruits went out to eat at Noodles and Company, and called it a night. On Saturday, I started out the day with a wake-up swim while the team was having a meeting on butterfly and breaststroke. Then I went to go watch the team practice. It was kind of funny because their practices are just like Kit's. Once they finished we went out to breakfast at Bob Evans, and headed out to do some tailgating. I did not get to do much tailgating though because I had a meeting with Coach Peter. In our meeting we talked about a lot of little stuff. It was so weird because in my meeting, it was just like talking to Kit. You will be surprised to see how much Kit and Peter are alike if you ever take a trip to EMU. When you have a meeting with the coach it doesn't necessarily mean you always talk about swimming and school. Sometimes they just want to find out your personality and your life outside of swimming. My host and I went back to watch some movies. We did not go to the football game because it was too rainy and really cold. Afterwards, we went to dinner with all the girls and recruits at a restaurant right on the campus. My host and I ended the night by playing some lazer tag and getting milkshakes from sonic.

 

Overall it was a fun weekend and a great experience. I could not be more grateful for the hospitality of the entire coaching staff, my hosts and the entire team! Oh and it was great seeing Dylan too. I can not wait for my next, and last recruiting trip to St. Bonaventure , NY the weekend of October 29^th . This is the alma mater of my late uncle and where he played soccer.

 

Jessica Godlewski

I flew into Charlotte then up to the Harrisburg airport in Pennsylvania where the assistant coach Mary Dain picked me up with 6 other recruits and we drove an hour to get to the college. When we arrived there we had lunch and everyone was very welcoming. There were 24 recruits, 16 swimmers and 8 divers! The food in the cafeteria was actually really good, since they only have the cafe and the other dining hall The Bison as the two places to eat on campus. I went to a psychology class after lunch with 4 other recruits and a freshman on the team. The professor of the class was awesome. After the class we had a tour and played name games with all the recruits.

               

The campus is gorgeous. It has green grass and trees all over campus and the building are very modern and well kept. Following the tour of the campus we then watched practice, which was a lot like what we do now, so that was very reassuring. After practice, we had dinner at the Bison. Some of the food at the Bison that they serve is sushi, Mexican food, pizza, and wraps and candy- you name it. I had sushi and it was really good! Then I joined my host, who was a junior on the team, at her sorority's date party at the bowling alley. Over 46% of the students there are in a sorority or fraternity, so that is a really big part of the school's culture. The party was fun and didn't last all that long. We took the second of their chartered buses home at 12 because we had to be up for practice at 7.

 

On Saturday, the team did a pretty rough practice in the morning, but it reminded me of something we would have done. We all had individual meetings with the head coach during the practice, which went well. I really liked him, his philosophies on swimming and more importantly academics. After practice, we walked in the annual AIDS walk around campus and got donuts and bagels. That night I was staying with a different host, Liz, a sophomore so we went back to her house, which she shared with three other girls, 2 swimmers and a water polo player. Her house was actually a modular, but it was really nice inside and they are the most coveted living arrangements on all of campus supposedly. We took a quick nap and got ready to go see a Sam Adams concert that the school put on the lawn outside the athletic facilities. We went to the swim house, a house where 4 swimmer guys live, and met up with all the other swimmers and divers before the concert. The concert lasted from 4 until 7, and after, we went to get some food at the bison and went back to Liz's mod (short for modular). We decided we wanted to go to Kappa Sig's (a well known fraternity on campus) all white dance party that night, and they really did mean all white. We had to go change into all white before they let us in. The party was really fun but very hot and crowded. We danced until about 1 and then went back to the mods for some relaxing, tv, and girl talk before bed.

 

 I really enjoyed my trip there. All of the team members, especially the girls, and the recruits as well, were so sweet and social and made me feel right at home. I was very glad I decided to go there on a trip after all.

 

Nina was going to go to Georgetown the weekend of the 1st, but decided not go since Brown is this coming weekend! She’s very excited about this visit. Then the next one is October 17-19 to Dartmouth.

Jessica Godlewski went on her first recruiting trip to West Virginia University on September 17^th-19^th.  Below Jessie talks about her weekend and what it involved. Read on!

 

 

My trip to West Virgina University was like a roller coaster ride, where the thrill of the ride never stopped. When I finally arrived at Pittsburg airport, I could not wait to get off the plane and finally meet the team and coaches. At the airport the coaches, and a member of the team greeted me. They were very welcoming and that helped my nerves go away. I was not the only recruit being brought in for this weekend, in fact I was one of a dozen.

The first day we were there it was like a zoo. They had us running around from place to place to make sure we saw as much of the campus as possible. It was fun because I got to go to a class with my team hosts, and then I got to swim in the pool. The coaches are not allowed to observe the recruit as it is against NCAA rules. After the swim, we went on an official campus tour and then met with the athletic director to discuss a little about academics. After the long day of running around, we were given time to just sit and watch the practice. Again, because of NCAA rules we as recruits were not allowed to practice with the team. I thought that the end was near, but my day was not over. The Head coach was calling us in one by one to discuss what we are looking for in a college and why we think we would be the best fit for them. After a few nerve-racking moments, it was unfortunately my turn. I was more nervous then ever. Having one on one conversations with the head coach is very intimidating, but after I got a few laughs out of him I could not have felt more at home.

 

               On Saturday it was time for the football game. The stadium was packed and it was so much fun because we were given the opportunity to go onto the field before the game, where we welcomed the football team onto the field. It was a perfect day for football! I didn't even think it was hot, but Mother Nature fooled me because I discovered that the back of my neck was bright red. So don't be so vulnerable, always put sunscreen on. After that my host and I went out for ice cream and pretty much called it a night because we were so tired.

On the final day ,we woke up, had breakfast, and headed to the airport. I really did not want to leave because I was having so much fun, but again NCAA rules say you can only spend 48 hours on campus with the team. Overall, the whole recruiting experience has really changed my life so far. I have learned much from the coaches and team. – Jessica Godlewski

 

 

 

Nina had her first recruiting trip this past weekend September 17^th-19^th with William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Since the College is 2.5 hours away, Nina’s mother drove her to the school and dropped her off on Friday Morning at 11:30am at the William & Mary Hall, which is the Main Athletic building.

 

Nina was welcomed by the Head Coach, Assistant Coach and a William & Mary swimmer. On Friday, Nina received the swimmer experience where she went to an American History class, met with an Academic advisor where she learned the services, which are offered to athletes at William and Mary. Nina then went to watch the end of swim practice and dryland with the team. That night the girl’s team took Nina and other recruits out to dinner and then went back to the college apartments to have a girl’s night with cookie dough batter and to catch up on the start of the college season.

 

Saturday brought many activities as Nina watched William and Mary swimmers participate in the James River Swim, which is a fundraiser they have been doing for 33 years. Following the fundraiser, Nina went to the beach for most of the day and a team BBQ at night.

 

Sunday morning, Nina woke up and had breakfast with the team at Panera Bread. Her mom came and picked her up at 9:30AM.

 

Overall, Nina was so pleased with the generosity and hospitality of the athletes and coaches and said she had a great weekend. Next weekend Nina goes to Bucknell!