If you didn’t know, the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship for swimming will commence on Feb. 15, for the first time ever.
The NJAC Championship is one of the most important events for all collegiate sports in New Jersey, and it is something that teams dream of winning. As a result, the Profs have been putting in the work over the last few weeks to make sure they are ready for the moment.
“The past two weeks we have put a lot of emphasis on speed work and making sure technique is right and ready for racing. I think we are really ready for this year’s NJAC,” Lindsay Cave said.
The NJAC Championships is taking the spot of the Metropolitan Conference Championships (METs), where the Profs finished second out of 16 teams. They are hoping to build off of that this year and have it result in a first-place finish in the NJACs.
“We are all pretty excited. We had a new group of girls coming in and were just ready to go prove ourselves. We want to show that we are the best team out there and want to win it all,” Sara Clayton said.
For Lindsay Cave, this NJAC will be her final swim meet, as she is a current fifth-year student.
“As my last meet, the NJAC is important to me just to see my final performance in the pool. I also want to see what my teammates can achieve,” Cave said.
Getting the opportunity to prove yourself on the biggest stage is one all athletes want. For Clayton, she just wants to see her team get rewarded for all the hard work they put in.
“I want to prove that hard work pays off and that the underdogs will always find a way to come out on top. I want to prove that our teams the best,” Clayton said.
Clayton isn’t alone in her efforts to prove something.
“As a team, we want to prove that we are a force to be reckoned with and that we can put up a good fight towards winning the championship,” Cave added.
This team focuses heavily on supporting your teammates. Not only do the athletes want to perform well for themselves, but they also want their teammates to succeed at the highest level.
When competing for anything, people will tell you that being confident is important. Having confidence can help you perform better and can help you keep the negative thoughts out of your mind. With that being said, it’s hard to find a more confident group than the swim team right now.
“I’m feeling the most confidence I have ever felt heading into the NJAC. We have put in tons of hard work, and I have been going my fastest times this year. The NJAC is going to be very exciting,” Clayton said.
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