Thirty-three are listed on the roster, yet just two are still practicing. Syracuse swimmers Elyse McDonough and Luk Boral are vying for NCAA championship bids and Webster Pool is open solely for them. The two athletes are just one of the many headliners that made up this 2003-04 season.

There were champions – two to be exact. McDonough, a senior, and the super freshman Boral were crowned at the Big East championships. There were exits – six to be exact. Five swimmers and a diver ended their careers at Syracuse. There was one quotable, cheerful head coach – Lou Walker, in his 28th year at the helm. But among all the storylines that cluttered the waters these past few months there’s one that stands above the rest.

It is the story of resiliency, team work and redemption. It was those six seniors coupled with that super freshman and headed by that one-of-a-kind coach. Together this team, both men’s and women’s, had turnaround seasons that not only resulted in much success, but also leaves much anticipation for the future.

The men dedicated their season to redemption. In 2002-03 the Orangemen lost dual meets to St. Bonaventure, West Virginia and Seton Hall. A year later SU knocked off all four of those opponents.

‘One of the big things for us at the beginning of the year was to beat these teams,’ junior Mike Anstrom said, ‘They rested for us last year. UConn came in here and annihilated us. From Day One, our goal has been to get those teams.’

The Orangemen did. The men finished the season with a dual meet record of 6-1. The men also took home a sixth place finish at the prestigious Nike Cup in November.

The lone loss came to Pittsburgh – the eventual Big East Champion.

Senior leadership from Spencer Raymond mixed with the talent of Boral made a decent recipe for success. Boral, who impressed all season long, will swim in his home country’s national swim meet in June. His hope is to represent Poland in the 2004 Olympic Games.

But the redemption and vengeance that came with this season does not conclude with the men. McDonough is the purest example to use when defining this season.

A year ago, as a junior, McDonough was a runner-up at the Big East Championships.

‘Last year I finished second’ McDonough said. ‘It was my most palpable event to get first in. That was tough.’

The 2003 second-place performance in the 200-meter fly was disappointing and stuck with the two-time captain for a year. Her first-place finish in last weekend’s 200 butterfly at the Big East Championships earned McDonough some much deserved redemption.

‘When I popped up out of the water,’ McDonough said, ‘all my teammates were right around me screaming.’

The screams were warranted, as McDonough swam the final race of her Big East career in record-setting time. The senior leaves SU having set nearly a dozen different school and Webster Pool records.

For head coach Lou Walker, this was just another year, only one in 28, of a long coaching career. Well, not completely.

‘The improvement from a year ago to this year was impressive,’ Walker said. ‘I am pleased how they responded as a group this year. We still are a very young team in its entirety. With the majority of kids being underclassmen, I am excited to see where this group can go.’

Published on February 26, 2004 at 12:00 pm