Dawson Proves Amazing is Possible

HOUSTON – There are moments when a coach hopes the rest of the team is paying attention. And taking copious notes.

Thursday night, Christopher Woodard's team did. He knew it to be true because, like him, a good portion of his Colorado State women's swim and dive team was in tears. They fell from eyes due to pride. They dripped in joy. Mostly from awe and wonderment.

"If you don't know what that means, what she sacrificed to get there, you don't understand the sport and you don't understand her," Woodard said. "So, I don't think for a second there's anyone in this team that doesn't know what that means."

There was only one reasonable explanation for what they all witnessed: It's Erin Dawson.

In the course of the day, she shaved nearly eight seconds off her season-best time in the 400-yard individual medley, the final seven of those coming in the hours between the preliminary session and the finals. She entered the two-time defending champion at the Mountain West Championships in the event, but she was also seeded 10^th after a frustrating final season, one where she often questioned if she was ever going to recognize herself.

She was still winning races – she has amassed 63 in her career – but the times were not to her standards, which are high as the school-record holder in the 200 and 500 freestyles. She wasn't her best – she knew that – but she was going to go down kicking.

"I mean, I haven't believed in myself for a while," Dawson said after placing third in a time of 4:12.24, which is below the NCAA qualifying standard. "I think that just showed me what I'm capable of and gets me excited for the last couple of days.

"I think I've been really caught up on outcome, and I think tonight I was like, I'm just going to go do what I love. I love swimming. I love the person that I am. This is my victory lap. I'm just going to have as much fun as I can, and I think that really took a lot of pressure off and a lot of tightness out. It just, it kind of surprised me."

Her best time this season had been 4:20.39, which she turned into a 4:19.09 in the prelims, making her the sixth-fastest qualifier. She had a lane, but she was still lagging behind the leaders. In the finals, she gave one last amazing push. While Moji Pholjamjumrus of Nevada and Grace Wharton could see and push each other from the middle lanes, Dawson kept close tabs on them.

Then she started to close the gap, mostly in the breaststroke leg where suddenly the former champ was being seen as a threat in the stands. The youngsters had enough in the tank, with Pholjamjumrus posting a 4:11.07 to earn the automatic berth to the NCAA Championships, Wharton behind in 4:12.19.

As Dawson kept coming, the team and Woodard started hoping for what seemed improbable at the start of the day.

"We don't all get storybook endings, but we always can finish writing our part in that story. And whether the outcome is there or not, we can write about how we want to approach it," Woodard said. "I mean, I got really emotional about it. What speaks volumes is we know how much Erin's sacrifice is worth, and just to come back from that 4:19, put herself in the hunt, and then threaten to win it all again for the third time, despite everything."

Dawson -- who had the message "No regrets" on her foot -- hit the wall and then tears came. Her teammates were already crying, with Tess Whineray not afraid to show it and rushed to greet her teammate, who got a pat on the cap from Azalea Shepherd at the end of the race. Wave after wave of Rams rushed to congratulate her. Or just touch her, to make sure she was real.

"I think is saw the place first," Dawson said of her first glance at the scoreboard. "I thought, 'oh my God, I did it.' This is what I've been wanting, and I was like, I'm sure as hell not going to get fourth, so, I was giving it my all, and I looked up there and I was just like, 'oh my God, I knew I could do it.'"

The result makes her an eight-time all-conference performer with one race to go, the 200 backstroke on the final day, an event she's never competed in at conference but one she's been asking Woodard to swim. The way the past two days have gone – a pair of championship finals – she's not counting herself out.

Then, a few races later, she watched as Whineray, Shepherd, Mia Axelman and Lexie Trietley broke the school record in the 200 freestyle relay with a 1:30.47, finishing one place shy of the podium.

Axelman had already earned her first all-conference honor by qualifying for the 200 freestyle, placing eighth in a time of 1:48.79 after posting the No. 3 time at the school in the prelims with a 1:48.37.

The Rams' other individual finalist came in the diving well as Sydney Ovesen continued her late-season surge to qualify for the finals on the 3-meter springboard with a 277.25 in the morning, following up with a 251.65 to place eighth at night.

The finals were charged, with the top six scoring better than 300, an experience on so many levels for the hometown youngster.

"I learned mostly that I just need to settle down. I had a lot of nerves going into it, and it was just such a new environment," she said. "I didn't really know what to expect, and it over-exceeded my expectations. I went into it really freaked out, and once I was finally where I said, 'OK, let's just have some fun, we already made it here,' that's when I kind of started doing better."

Six weeks ago, the two-time Colorado state high school champion was down on herself and diving in some ways. A change of approach to having fun led to her regaining a passion and her scores to surge, reaching the program top 10 on both springboards.

Making an A final in her first year – just the fourth Ram to do so this decade – has her looking for a brighter future.

In the earlier diving rounds, senior Maggie Di Scipio placed 14^th overall, while freshman Juliana Dodd was 20^th, meaning all four of the Rams divers have scored at the meet. Friday, the Mountain West will hold a diving relay for the first time, with three divers performing two dives each, two on 1-meter, two on 3-meter and two on platform. Dodd, Ovesen and Riley Lee will participate for CSU.

It's a young diving crew led by first-year diving coach Seth O'Dea, is one Ovesen loves to work and learn from and with.

"I think that we're definitely going to blow the roof off of this popsicle stand. I think that this is going to be insane," Ovesen said. "We're going to make big moves, and I'm excited. I think that being able to relate to everyone a little bit more and have that support with someone who's going through exactly what you're going through is something that's really helpful. We're learning the same things together instead of separately, and I think that that definitely helps us build on each other."

The team picked up additional points in the 400 IM as Lindsey Blake placed 12^th, Delaney Engel 14^th and Monica Schmidt 18^th. In the first event, the 100 butterfly, Mavi Nehir Isman won the consolation final with a 53.96 which stands No. 5 all time at the school, while Evie Munz finished 24^th.

The Rams remain in eighth but have closed the gap, sitting just .5 points behind Wyoming, 320-319.5 with two days remaining. It's a time span where so much can happen. Even in less time, which they now know to be true.

This is a roster with 12 freshmen on it. Woodard is pretty sure each one of them received the message that there is always a choice to be made no matter what past results may lead them to believe. At the least, if they have some fight and the heart to do so, they hold the pen themselves.

Ovesen, he said, wielded one herself.

"The fact that they were doing tower work five days ago and she smacked so hard that the back of her legs are all bruised up and then came here and still performed, I think that says it all," he said. "Hard things are worth doing. You're not going to shy away from hard things because hard things are worth doing. Sometimes you get great results."

Astonishing even. The kind which will bring a team to tears.

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Players Mentioned

Mia Axelman

Lindsey Blake

Erin Dawson

Maggie Di Scipio

Juliana Dodd

Delaney Engel

Riley Lee

Evie Munz

Mavi Nehir Isman

Sydney Ovesen

Monica Schmidt

Azalea Shepherd

Lexie Trietley

Tess Whineray