JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman swim team heads to Salem, S.C. to open the 2022-23 season at the Upstate Splash Open Water Swim, Saturday.
The event is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.
The race is a charity event with the motto "Bringing Swimmers Together to Save Children's Lives". Those participating in the event at Lake Jocasee are helping promote water safety awareness and providing scholarships for children in need to take swim lessons.
"We are excited to race, and we are excited to support this charity which brings a lot of swimming to the Salem area," Carson-Newman head swim coach Ben Young said.
This is the first meet in a long season for the Eagles, lasting from September to March where the team aims to find success in the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships. Carson-Newman will bring eight open water swimmers to this first race.
On the men's side, the Eagles will bring Jed Little, Ethan Lawless, Guilherme Martins, and Jakov Igrec. For the women, C-N will swim Rachel and Rebecca Peden, Linda Ungerboeck and Kate Salsbury.
"Kate is stepping up for us here. Although she's not an open water swimmer, she is going more mid-distance this year and is pushing outside a comfort zone heading to Salem," Young said.
Although this is not a full team event, the Eagles are hoping to begin the year strong and look for areas to improve as the season continues.
"This is the first actual meet to see where we are. That's what we are using it for is to try to get an idea of where we are and where to move from here. We want to know what things that the open water swimmers need to be working on for the next couple months," Young said.
Young spoke on race mentality and how the team plans to approach this first race and the rest of the season.
"I want to see them attack the race and get a legitimate idea of where they are, along with how they felt during the race and after the race. It's about the mindset going in. Anytime we race, I want it to be quality and beneficial for us," Young said.
The Upstate Splash provides the Eagles with an opportunity to gauge where that mindset is at, as well as look for ways to learn and build as the season continues.
"We are there to race, get better, and learn. I ask them a lot what we did well today and why. I also ask them where they can do better and how we plan on doing that. That's something we will continue to build on during the season and throughout the season. What is the actual solution behind the things we need to improve upon?" Young said.
Carson-Newman will swim at 8:30 a.m. in Salem, S.C. this upcoming Saturday. Be sure to follow along with the Eagles all season long across Carson-Newman's social media platforms and on cneagles.com.
