Pacific Index

Pacific swim wraps up their year with great improvements

   While the excitement of diving into the pool and the adrenaline of competition may seem like the primary motivation for Pacific University’s swim team, it is the strong sense of community and shared culture among the athletes that truly drives them.

   Pacific swim is led by Tabor Waterstreet, now in his first year as head coach following his time as interim coach last year. “I am very happy with how we started this season off as my main objective was to build a team,” Coach Waterstreet explained. At the end of the 2024-25 season the team had five female swimmers and no male swimmers. Going into this season Waterstreet built the team up to nine female swimmers and eight male swimmers, which shows great improvement and promise for the team overall. 

   A main focus for the squad this year was aimed towards individual improvement in the pool. Pacific swim is still in the process of rebuilding and recruiting more swimmers to create a bigger team to compete, so in the meantime the athletes are working on their individual strengths. “As a team, we know we aren’t competing for points,” Waterstreet shared openly. “They are competing to clean up their swims and hitting season best times.” 

   Pacific swim holds a record of 0-6 both on the men’s and women’s sides currently and individual progress is really key to this team’s improvement moving forward. He continued to explain how the athletes are working on a much more individual basis rather than team points. The swimmers are working to work on the little things that will make them stronger athletes; they are fine tuning small swimming techniques such as their strokes and movements. 

   Although having a small team is not the most ideal in the competition setting, it has allowed the group to connect even more due to their small numbers. Out of the pool, team bonding and connection is a huge priority for Pacific swim and a major strength for the team. “We went to a Winterhawks game not that long ago, dinner night at Red Robin, line dancing, swimming at Hagg Lake, hikes, that kind of stuff,” Waterstreet explained eagerly. He went on to share that doing those sorts of activities creates a tight knit connection between the teammates and even when the team grows they will still continue to prioritize team bondings. “I think it gives us a chance to see each other in a different light,” Waterstreet stated. “I think finding out how we are as humans outside of the pool brings us together more and helps us in the pool eventually.”

   Although a battle to earn points in meets, the team stays motivated and continues to grow stronger. Going into the Northwest Conference Championships, the goal is not to gain the top spot but reach their own goals set. “I would like our women’s team to hit a score of 150 points and our men’s to reach 100,” Waterstreet stated. “That would be an awesome season ending goal for us.” That would top what the team finished last year and show their progress. 

After their last meet, the team will head into the offseason and continue to train and build. Coach Waterstreet plans to build off of this season and work towards adding on to his hard working team. “This year really showed our togetherness and progression,” Waterstreet shared. “I am really happy with where we got and I can’t wait to see how we look next season.”