`When Head Coach Kevin Markwardt entered the 2009-10 campaign, he said he wasn’t sure what to expect from the men’s swimming team.

At the beginning of the season, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if his squad lost five of its first six meets. Instead, the Blue and Gold won three of their first four dual meets. Now standing at 11–5, the Bombers are poised to make a run at the state championship.

Throughout the season, the swimmers and divers have routinely surprised the coaches by defeating teams who statistically overmatch the Bombers.

“The way things look on paper, the way the other teams are stacked against us in certain events … these teams seem a lot better than us,” Diving Coach Nate Brisley said. “When we end up swimming them, the swimmers swim some amazing races, swim some amazing times and win some key events that on paper we should not have won.”

One of the most surprising performances by an Ithaca diver this season occurred during Ithaca’s victory over three-time defending conference champion Alfred University when sophomore diver Derek Rand defeated Alfred’s national-qualifying diver, senior Kameron Chambliss.

Senior diver Andrew Longcore said the team has just done everything it needs to in order to succeed.

“We all feel more confident with our abilities,” Longcore said. “We’re all kind of stepping up when we need to — working hard and pushing through it and getting what we need to get done.”

Neither Brisley nor Markwardt can pinpoint one specific reason why this year’s team is able to impress the coaches on a weekly basis. However, Markwardt said it’s the team’s ability to bond as a group that is contributing to its success.

“I feel excited about this year’s team,” Markwardt said. “I’m probably more involved than I have been in the past, but honestly, I don’t think that’s really what’s allowed them to be this successful. It’s the group themselves — the cohesion they have.”

Prior to Saturday’s meet against Union College, Markwardt said the athletes displayed their tight bond in the locker room by talking about the commitment each athlete has made to the Ithaca swimming and diving program. Junior diver Norman Nguyen said that has been a big part of the team’s success.

“The reason why we’re good — no cliché — [is] we’re a true family,” Nguyen said. “We all really get up for each other. We’re all really hungry, and we can all win.”

The desire to win combined with the mutual support for one another has allowed the Bombers to develop in and out of the water.

“I feel like we’re working hard for each other,” sophomore Jeff Rapp said. “We get in the pool every day, swim with the guys next to us. We win for each other.”

Despite the Blue and Gold’s success, Markwardt said this team still has room to grow. He said there are a small handful of athletes on the squad who he feels have not put in the work necessary to succeed.

“If I looked at what our guys did, I’d say, ‘This team didn’t put in the work that some of the other teams I’ve had to have this success,’ but the reality is that I think they’ve just been really smart,” Markwardt said. “That’s what I see has been our success — them intelligently figuring out their training.”

First-year Assistant Coach Mike Ariel constructed a “dry land” training program at the beginning of the season that is now paying dividends. Regardless of the time and effort the athletes put in outside of practice, the coaching staff believes that the team’s success ultimately falls squarely on the athletes’ shoulders.

“Maybe it’s just because they’re swimming like they have nothing to lose, to be perfectly honest,” Brisley said. “Maybe it’s simply that attitude that they’ve taken with them at every meet.”