In our second week, Amanda Kendall and Bradley Phillips are back to the daily grind of a collegiate athlete. Training takes up a huge amount of time each week, yet these are not professional athletes. They go to class. They have reading to do, papers to write, and projects to complete, all while trying to find a sense of normalcy as they balance their academic schedule against a demanding athletic schedule.
Phillips just returned after a multi-day meet schedule against Duke and University of North Carolina. He, along with the entire Virginia men's team, is intensely focused on preparing for ACC Championships, now less than a month away. But preparing for that end of the season goal means stepping back and doing the little things to be ready to race each week against whatever opponent is in the lane next to him.
“I've worked a lot on setting short-term goals,” Phillips said when we spoke before his trip. “Yes, I have goals for Trials and goals for Spring, but right now, I'm focused on getting up [on the block] and racing whoever is next to me.”
A year older, Kendall is in a slightly different position than Phillips after stepping onto the international scene last Fall. As one of the top sprint freestylers in the country, she will compete for a relay spot in the 4×100 and 4×200 freestyle relays. But like Phillips, her focus remains on her conference championship meet and making NCAA Championships.
For her, that means tweaking the little things that make all the difference for a sprinter. Stars, breakouts, turns, and finishes are where elite level freestylers win or lose. And now that Kendall is healthy, she's ready to make those minute adjustments each week as she works towards SECs, NCAAs, and Olympic Trials.
Amanda Kendall: LSU / Mason Makos (Fairfax, Va.)
“Lance has been tracking all of our times to 15 meters so we can see the progress on paper once we make changes. On Wednesday, I really nailed a few starts and brought my 15 meter time down. Lance wants us to not only improve on a single start, but to be consistent so we can repeat our improvements. While I still have a lot more to work on, it is good that I can see that the work is paying off.”
[Keep reading Amanda's blog post...]
Bradley Phillips: Virginia / Curl-Burke (Herndon, Va.)
“The meet was a battle, with plenty of momentum swings. Some things went our way and some things went in their favor. Many races were decided by tenths and hundredths of a second, and those short amounts of time and little point swings can change the course of a meet.”
[Keep reading Brad's blog post...]
LSU faces off against Tulane University, Rice University, and host University of Houston, at the CRWC Natatorium this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27 & 28. It will be Kendall's last regular season meet before the SEC Championship on Feb. 15.
Virginia hosts University of Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 28, in their second to last dual meet of the season.
For Kendall's times and complete results from Texas A&M vs. LSU (women), click here.
For Phillips' times and complete results from Virginia vs. UNC- Chapel Hill (men), click here.