The deep end: roommates’ lead Poets

Bartholomew, Celeste Grey, feature 4, Kaitlyn Baldwin, swimming, von Schottenstein, Sports - By Kaitlyn Baldwin on Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 03:08

“We really have no lives; we eat, sleep and swim,” sophomore Haley von Schottenstein said, as she sat down to finish her large amount of General Chemistry homework. “That’s pretty much it.”

von Schottenstein and junior Erin Bartholomew, sprinters on Whittier College’s Swim Team, wake up every morning to go to practice at 6 a.m., a time when most students on campus are still dead asleep. Both Bartholomew and von Schottenstein have broken 11 out of 14 swim all-time records at Whittier, all broken in the past year. They live and breathe swimming, dedicating all the time that they are not in class or doing homework to practicing during the week and going to meets on the weekends.

“I’ve been swimming on a club team since I was eight,” Batholomew said. Since her high school years she has been setting records wherever she goes. She broke many facility record times at her high school where she held the record for the 100-yard freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke.

Bartholomew transferred to Whittier last year as a sophomore from University of Richmond in Virginia, where she is originally from. There she held the titles of third in the 1,650-yard freestyle and fourth in the 500 freestyle. She is a Spanish major here at Whittier, and wishes to pursue a career in the health sciences after graduating. Bartholomew holds the fastest times for the 200, 500, 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyles, 400-yard Individual Medley and the 100- and 200-yard backstroke. “I really like competing; I mean I get nervous, but I love the adrenaline rush that comes with the challenge,” Bartholomew said.

von Schottenstein, who has been at Whittier since the beginning of her first-year, has also swam the majority of her life, starting at the age of 12 with her club team “The Douglas Dolphins.” She is originally from Gardnerville, Nev., where she also was a top athlete at her high school. von Schottenstein is a Kinesiology major and a sprinter on the team. She normally swims the 100-yard breaststroke, 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle during meets.

What piqued von Schottenstein’s desire to go to Whittier was the coaching staff on the swim team, and the intimacy of a small, liberal arts school where she could work closely with her teammates. “I originally wanted to swim for a Division-I school, but I realized that swimming at a Division-III school is still really intense,” von Schottenstein said.

This year presents new opportunities for Bartholomew and von Schottenstein. Even with so many accomplishments already made, the two young women only want to become stronger during this season. “I hope to get a lifetime best award, make nationals and progressively get better and better while I’m here,” von Schottenstein said. “I hope to move up in my SCIAC ranking,” Bartholomew said.

Both swimmers are greatly looking forward to the upcoming meets this season. “I think we’ll have a really good relay this year,” Bartholomew said. This Saturday, Oct. 22, the Poet swim team goes to a meet at the University of Redlands, which they will return to the following weekend for another meet. Both expect the meets to go well, and hope people come out to the event and support all of Whittier’s swimmers.

The young women say their biggest meet is at University of Nevada, Las Vegas in December. “Tons of other schools will be there, including some Division-I schools,” Bartholomew said. “The two practices we have a day definitely aren’t for nothing.”

All of this ultimately leads to the National Championships for Division-III schools, which will be held in Indianapolis, March 21-24, 2012. Last year Bartholomew made it to Nationals, which was held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She wants to qualify again this year, hoping to swim an even better time. But also Bartholomew wants to enjoy the time she has to spend with her team and coaches. “I want to have fun this year,” Bartholomew said. “If I stress myself out I don’t swim as well.”

von Schottenstein also hopes to attend Nationals this year, looking forward to the rest of this season to improve. There is no doubt that the Poet community is behind them 100 percent this swim season.