Lehigh University Athletics
Relay quartet leads Lehigh into PL Championships
2/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
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Swimming is most often characterized as an individual sport. Individuals compete against the clock as well as individual opponents while trying to put forth personal best times, and at the collegiate level, racing to score team points as well. Relays are an exception, as they require individuals to combine their best efforts and compete as a group.
“The relays are the epitome of the swimming and diving team event,” says third-year Lehigh head coach Rob Herb. “They’re worth double the points and a lot of times you have to put four or eight athletes in different positions. The medley relays tell whether or not you have a well rounded group, and are one of the most prestigious events at all levels of competitive swimming.”
As the Mountain Hawks prepare for the upcoming Patriot League Championships, the four members of the medley relay team are expected to lead the way for the Lehigh women.
Lehigh’s women’s team is small in numbers to begin with. There are only three seniors on the roster, and nine freshmen have been called upon to compete at a high level. The medley relay team combines two seniors with two student athletes in their first year at Lehigh.
Backstroke kicks-off the medley relay, and the Mountain Hawks have the luxury of leading with a senior and captain in Julie Mitchell. A three time All-Patriot League selection, Mitchell already holds school records in both the 100 and 200 back, and is also a member of the school record-holding 200 and 400 medley relay teams. An accounting major, with a job lined up with Deloitte & Touche in
“This year has been special because this is the most connected our team has been,” says Mitchell. “Personally, last year was not the best year for me but I’m looking forward to coming back and trying to make this the best year, because it’s my last one.
“I always get really excited and nervous about the relays,” Mitchell continues. “There’s a little added pressure with three other swimmers behind me who depend on me. It gives me the extra push to beat the person next to me, plus I like being the first one in so I can watch the other girls swim as well.”
The next leg in the relay is the breaststroke. When Mitchell touches the wall, she will be followed by sophomore Melanie Rolish, who transferred to Lehigh from
“I wanted to be a bigger impact swimmer,” explains Rolish. “I knew the school had a great academic reputation that I wanted to be a part of, connected with an incredibly beautiful campus and a great team to be a part of.”
Not only did Rolish find her old high school teammate at Lehigh, she also joined her sister Allison, a freshman who has had a successful campaign in the distance events.
“I was actually pushing her towards Lehigh before I even decided to transfer here,” Rolish notes. “I knew how good the school was both academically and athletically.”
Rolish has had an extremely successful season swimming the 100 and 200 breast, as well as the 200 IM for Lehigh. She has already set new school records in both breaststroke events and consistently won races during the dual meet season.
“Melanie really brings a different dynamic to our team,” says Herb. “She’s seen what the big leagues are about and brings a more serious and focused perspective to what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Another freshman who has made an immediate impact for the Mountain Hawks is Julie Sicherman, who swims the butterfly leg. All season, Herb has looked to his freshman class to make immediate contributions and Sicherman, another
“Julie really brings great energy to the team,” says Herb. “Whether she’s swimming her fly or another event she brings so much in terms of heart for racing and for the team.”
“On my recruiting trip I knew that Lehigh was the perfect place for me,” says Sicherman, who is enrolled in the
“As freshmen, we have all gotten the opportunity to swim and race,” continues Sicherman. “Doing well is what keeps you going, and the team’s positive attitude has made us closer and let us know that we have the potential to do well.”
Senior Betsy Balaguer anchors the relay, swimming the final freestyle leg for the Mountain Hawks. A two time all-league selection, Balaguer is a newcomer to the medley relay as most of her individual work has come in the 200 free and the distance events.
“Both Betsy and Julie signify what we want in this program,” explains Herb. “They’re both strong in the pool. They’re both record holders, and they’re both team leaders who have had a big influence on our younger swimmers.”
Outside of the pool, Balaguer's influence is equally important. She’s president of Lehigh’s Student Athlete Mentoring (SAM) program and serves on the Student-Athlete Executive Board.
“Our main thing with SAM is to help promote peak performance,” explains Balaguer. “We’re trying to become a resource to help our fellow student-athletes be the best they can be.”
Like Mitchell, she is an accounting major, and has a job lined up with Ernst and Young in
“This year has been the best of my four years at Lehigh,” notes Balaguer. “The freshmen on this team have shown that you can have fun and enjoy everything and not let swimming take over your life, even though at the same time it is a big part of our lives. I’m really looking forward to watching the freshmen swim and see how they react to the magnitude of the Patriot League Championships.”
The Patriot League continues to get better and better every year, but Herb believes this current group has both the talent and determination to post some impressive times this weekend.
“I fully expect our group to swim with a lot of heart and a lot of pride,” says Herb. “If this team does those kinds of things, we will impress everybody and perform at a level that this team has been in the past, and that the coaches and alumni would like to see in the future.”
Adverse weather conditions have forced the start of the Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships to be pushed back one day. The meet will now begin on Friday instead of Thursday and will run through Sunday at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium. Last season, Lehigh’s men placed fourth, while the women placed seventh. The host Bison are the defending champions on the women’s side, while Navy have been the dominant team on the men’s side. Action gets underway at 10:30 am on Friday from
