By Owen Alter
On January 18th my family and I attended the Madison Vs. Northwestern dual swim meet because I thought it would be a fun experience. It was a thrilling experience as there were five pool records (three by Northwestern) and one Madison team record! The meet was held in Madison at the Soderholm Aquatic Center.
The event’s atmosphere was electric. There were team member’s families holding up signs for their kids and many more fans coming to watch. The entire natatorium (swimming center) was filled with people coming to support their favorite team. In the end, the Madison girl’s team won with 205.5 points to 93.5 and the Northwestern boy’s team with 163.5 to 136.5.
There were many memorable moments from this meet. The two-time Olympian, Phoebe Bacon, on the Madison team, won the 200-yard and 100-yard backstroke by over two seconds. There were also two college swimmers going under 20 seconds in the individual 50-yard freestyle (two lengths) and over 8 people in the 200-yard relay. The world record for this event is only two seconds away (17.63). There were also 5 pool records and 1 team record in the 100 back, two in the 200 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and the 200 individual medley.
Another interesting thing was the DJ. The announcer had a DJ right next to him and they played music specific to what was happening. I specifically remember them playing the song “Sicko Mode” By Travis Scott during the most popular event, the 50 Freestyle. Everyone in the crowd grew in anticipation as to who would win the most anticipated race that evening. With the song blasting, everyone cheering, and the racers in the water, it finally ended. Madison wins the race with the 1st and 2nd place swimmers!
All in all, the dual meet in Madison was a very entertaining and exciting event and I think more people should attend smaller college dual meets like these. The atmosphere is incredible and it’s extremely entertaining to watch. The cost of entry is free. The next UW Madison swim meet you can go to is February 7th. There are also a few more colleges you can go and see. These include UW Whitewater, Beloit College, UW Milwaukee, and more. You and some friends or family should go check it out; you might even find some interest in a new sport.
thecometeer