MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Millersville women's swim team head coach Eric Usbeck almost doubled the team's roster size ahead of the 2020-21 season. Excited to start fresh, the season came to halt with the postponement of sports through December 31, 2020. Now, Usbeck and his team are doing all they can to prepare for a shortened competition season in the spring despite the majority of his team's inability to train over the winter break.  
 
"Normally, this time of year we are on campus and staying once the semester is over. We come back weeks early for competition and training to prepare for a February championship meet," said Usbeck. "Everything has changed. Most of my kids don't have a pool to practice in or a gym to workout in. So, I have been working with our strength and conditioning staff to develop a program to allow them to just use their body or whatever they have at home to improve their physical strength and to keep them prepared for when we can come back."
 
But, with seven new faces on the team, there is never a dull moment for Usbeck.
 
"The freshmen bring a lot to the table. It is hard to pinpoint what all their strengths are because you can take it so many different ways," said Usbeck. "Tied at the top are their energies and personalities. They are a live, bubbly crew. Every day is a different story or episode in the life of what we're doing. They're creative. They're fun. It's hard to boil it down to just a couple of words."
 
The team brings a whole set of new physical talents, many of them slated to land all-time top-10 times at Millersville.
 
"Of course, the physical talents they bring are notable. A lot of tem bring top-10 Millersville all-time swimming performances in," said Usbeck. "Their ability in different events is really starting to be recognized. So, I think their physical contributions will continue to grow as the years go on."
 
With most classes being virtual, the almost-barren campus has hosted mostly student-athletes throughout the fall semester, leaving them to lean on each other during extraordinary times.
 
"So far, I feel our program has grown very close throughout this semester being that it is almost entirely athletes on campus," said Usbeck. "There has been very limited social possibilities for the athletes on the team outside of each other. Because of that, our first year students got brought into the fire, and they've only had each other to bond with over this time period. They've adjusted well to their 'regular life' if you will."


 
With lives all over the world disrupted, the swimming program has felt the effects of the changes in the world with their seasonal preparations looking a bit different from years past.
 
"To prepare for the upcoming season, it's been difficult for sure," said Usbeck. "When it comes to the sport of swimming, I like to create a season plan for volume, intensity, and where the meets are. This year, no practice is guaranteed. So, it's been difficult for me to try and plan out a whole semester, or even a week."
 
But, the Marauders are taking advantage of and are grateful for every opportunity they get to spend in the water.
 
"Knowing how fluid the world is right now, we've just taken greater appreciation to what we're doing," said Usbeck." There's been a lot more attention to detail from our athletes. There's been a greater level of dedication for what we're doing. Each practice has meaning and purpose. Each athlete has shown that they care about what they're doing. It's really nice to see that they're focused, dedicated. And trying to prepare themselves for the future and the sport."
 
For Usbeck, recruiting during a pandemic has given him the opportunity to see more talent and add to his 2021-22 roster early on.
 
"At this point, we have five committed student athletes to join us for Rall 2020 by November 2, whereas last year, we had our first by November 1. So, the tales of recruiting from this year to last year are drastically different," said Usbeck. "What I am seeing in student-athletes is a lot more focus and a lot more determination on making the correct decision for themselves. This year, for me, with recruiting it's been a lot easier, finding the talent I am looking for, questioning them, and flushing out the right ones for our program."
 
As Usbeck's first signing class gets ready to hit the water this spring, he looks toward the five soon-to-be freshmen who have signed on for the 2021-22 season.
 
"The five that we have right now are all going to be excellent additions when it comes to team environment, personality, and, of course, physical talent," said Usbeck. "There's about 14 all-time top-10 worthy performances between the five of them coming in. They're going to make a big impact when it comes to their swimming abilities."
 
This year has certainly come with its challenges. The second year head coach has found himself having to adjust his coaching style during these unparalleled times.
 
"This year has been really tough. This is my fourth season removed from being a student-athlete. So, a lot of my desires are still three and I'm very motivated to get to competition and see those times drops. That's what gets me really excited about the sport," said Usbeck. "Having those taken away, creating uncertainty has really affected the way I do things."
 
At the end of the day, Usbeck and his team rely on each other to get through each day, continuing to adapt in order to overcome and push forward.
 
"They've done an amazing job keeping the environment light and positive. They've helped me to put it plainly," said Usbeck. "The way that we do things is always changing, always adapting. So, just make it fun, make it different because nothing is guaranteed."