by Isaac Goodling
At a time when many Colgate freshmen are still trying to figure out the intricacies of college life, a trio of swimmers is already making their impact felt on campus. Beverly Walker, Lisa Marchi, and Emily Murphy were part of a recent record-breaking performance that propelled the Raiders to a win over Syracuse for the first time since the 1986-87 season.

At the forefront of the assault on the record book was Marchi, a native of Scottsdale, Arizona, who finished the day with freshman records in the 100 and 1000-yard freestyle as well as the school record in the 1000.

As a Syracuse native, Murphy was particularly eager to prove herself.

“I think that they really kind of underestimated how fast we were and our abilities, and it meant a lot to beat them because it kind of shoved it in their face,” she says.

With an emphatic win in the 200 breaststroke, Murphy earned a place in Colgate history as well, notching both a freshman and school record in the event.

“You look around the country at all the big-time meets and she would have scored points at any of them,” head coach Stephen Jungbluth says.

Not to be outdone by her classmates, Walker posted a time of 59.3 in the 100 backstroke, good for a new freshman record. She also won the 200 freestyle and finished second in the 200 backstroke, an event in which she recorded the seventh fastest time in Colgate history.

Jungbluth is not surprised by the speed of their adaptation to collegiate swimming.

“All three of them were very experienced competitors at very high levels, and because of that experience they were able to come in here and not get too nervous and put their head in the right place and help the team,” he claims in assessing their performances thus far.

What he might not have been able to predict however, is that instead of feeling the pressure to perform, the girls are actually having more fun than ever.

“I came from a dominant high school program, and if we didn’t win then we would have been punished almost. Here it’s exciting to win instead of just being expected,” says Marchi.

Murphy agrees, saying, “In high school it wasn’t really a contest, but here it’s a competition every single meet and you’re always fighting, and that’s a lot of fun.”

All three girls are also enjoying the closeness of an extremely tight-knit team.

“When you first get here you’re not sure how it’s going to be, but it’s just like having an instant family,” says Walker.

Although each of them was highly recruited by more prominent swimming programs around the country, there is no regret about having chosen Colgate.

“When you go to a big school you’re just a face in the crowd and the coach doesn’t really care about you as much. Coach Steve gives everyone a lot of attention,” says Marchi, voicing the opinion shared by all three.

With consecutive highly rated recruiting classes, Jungbluth is well on his way to revitalizing the women’s swimming and diving program at Colgate. After seeing a bevy of records fall during the 2004-05 season, there is obviously more of the same to come this year. In fact, the coach’s primary goal is to be crowned the Patriot League champions, an accomplishment that would have seemed out of reach until recently. However, with the energy and enthusiasm of Jungbluth combined with the talent that he has on his team it is clear that a new era in Colgate swimming is being ushered in.