Current Lewis & Clark swimmers challenge alumni in the annual dual meet held during the homecoming weekend

By CARLY CHELOVITZ

On Oct. 17, athletes both young and old, came together at the Zehntbauer Swimming Pavilion for some good, old fashioned competition. This event, appropriately named the Alumni Meet, has been a part of Lewis & Clark’s Homecoming Weekend festivities for over a decade. Each year, alumni and families come from across the United States to watch the swimmers compete in a modified short program meet, consisting of 100 meters of every stroke, the 200 Individual Medley, 200 freestyle, and the 500 freestyle.

This year, spectators traveled over 2500 miles to watch and attend the events of LC’s Homecoming Weekend. Among those alums were LeAnne Schrotzberger ’87. She has since taken her passion and talent for swimming to the next level by competing in multiple Ironman Triathlon races. She has raced all over Canada and plans to continue training for another Ironman this coming year. Another alumna, Stacy Abrams ’09, traveled from Texas to compete against her alma mater. Abrams moved to Japan post-graduation and taught English through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Upon returning to the U.S., she took a job at Texas University in their International Students Office.

“I loved getting to know the LC alumni and hearing where their lives have taken them; it shows me how many possibilities I’ll have in my reach once I become an alum [sic],” explained Baergen Schultz ’19.

The event is a great way for current students to make connections and reconnect with people like Schrotzenberger and Abrams. Sofia Koutzoukis ’16, one of the Women’s swim team captains, just applied to graduate. “Seeing my old teammates and friends happy and successful in their news lives and being able to talk to them about their accomplishments gives me a lot of confidence for what is to come in my life next year,” she said.

The LC Swim Team gave the alumni squad a run for their money this year, but the graduates and their unconventional methods still came out on top. While the current team must take the meet seriously, alumni get to have a little more fun. Common practices include cannonballing on top of swimmers, using fins, and converting individual events into relays. Attendees will note, though, that this meet is about much more than the swimming. “As an alum [sic], it is so fun to see old teammates,” said LC Swim Team Assistant Coach Sarit Gluz. “We contact each other every year to see who is going to make the trip out and live the college dream again for the weekend.”