Phil Zoppi – Sports Writer
The coach of the men and women’s swimming teams at Southern, Tim Quill, is trying to prepare his teams for another successful performance at the Northeast-10 Championships.
Southern’s men’s team won the championship in 2015 and Quill believes that his current men’s team can have a similar performance.
“I think the team this year stacks up to potentially outperform last years, which is a pretty tall feat,” said Quill. “I really thought that our men’s program last year had one of the most incredible performances as a team. I do think there were a lot of areas we could improve on though, and we can take advantage of that this year.”
Christopher Curtin, the 2015 NE-10 Conference Swimmer of the Year, was a big part of the championship Southern won last year. Curtin agrees with Quill’s assessment of this year’s team.
“We have the potential of being just as good or even better,” said Curtin when referring to this year’s team at the NE-10 Championships. “I feel as though we brought in great underclassman this year that can step up and fill the shoes of what we lost from last year.”
Last year Curtin was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer of the NE-10 Championship. With seven freshmen on the team this year, Curtin is trying to prepare them for what they are going to experience in the upcoming weekend.
“I’ve told them that this is going to be the most fun and exciting meet that you’ve ever been apart of,” said Curtin. “I’ve been swimming for almost 10 years now and nothing compares to it every year. I’ve just told them they’re going to be in for a treat.”
As a senior, Curtin is now the team captain and is looked at for not only his performance in the pool, but out of the pool as well.
Quill was very appreciative of Curtin when talking about him and believes he’s grown as a swimmer and leader throughout his time spent at Southern.
“He’s had three outstanding seasons at Southern,” said Quill. “I think the younger athletes look for his leadership due to the amount of awards and experience that he has. He’s a very capable athlete and confident in his abilities.”
The women’s team didn’t have as much success as the men’s last year but still had a solid outing at the NE-10 Championships in 2015, finishing in third.
They are coming in hot this year, as they have won their previous two meets heading into the conference championships. Quill believes every year is different and has high hopes for the women’s team this year.
Quill has been coaching at Southern for 17 years now and knows that each year is unique in the way you have to prepare for the NE-10 Championships.
“I think every year is different,” said Quill. “I think we’re approaching this year’s conference championship a little bit differently than we did last year. You’re just trying to get a feel for how your team is responding throughout the year. I think the end of the year is just more of a continuation of what you’ve been doing all year long.”
Both the men and women’s swimming team will compete at the NE-10 Championships from Feb. 4 to Feb. 7 in Worcester, Mass.
Photo Credit: SCSU Athletic Communications
