Whineray Walks Away Wanting More

ATLANTA – Tired and catching her breath, she hung back.

Not in the race – she attacked it Saturday at the McAuley Aquatics Center – but after. Swimming just outside of the barrel-seeded heats, Tess Whineray wanted to take in all the swims of those in the final three heats, those who entered the 2026 NCAA Championships in the 200-yard backstroke with the top 24 times. Especially the last heat, the one featuring Claire Curzan of Virginia, who set the American record in the event (1:46.09) about a month ago at the ACC Championships.

Watch and learn from them. Whineray had already learned so much about herself in the previous 48 hours in her first venture to the championships.

"Just from watching the other swimmers, and like, Claire Curzan, that's why I went and waited, and watched all the other races. Not the top people, but the top 24, it's really been cool to see how they swim their races, and how they go out fast, and how they hold it, and that kind of thing," Whineray said. "Then also, learning about myself, and how I react to these high-intensity, high-level meets, and try and work on that.

"Because they don't come very often, so you don't get a lot of practice. But when they come, you need to be ready for them."

She felt ready Saturday, more so than she did the day before when she competed in the 100 backstroke. Her 1:53.96 put her 30^th in the field, just a spot shy of her 29^th-seed. She came out stronger at the start, posting an encouraging first 100, but it was the opening 50 of 27.05 which told her she was in the right place. She finished stronger too, finishing just 1.14 seconds off her school-record time in a meet where less than 20 percent of the field is topping a seed time. Her final 100 was the second best in the heat after her opening 100 had her in sixth; she finished fourth in her heat.

She also picked out the flaws. In that back half, her legs just weren't there, which impacted her underwater work, normally a strength she can rely upon even more. Just as important was what she was thinking. All of it was knowledge acquired.

"I was getting in my head about how I'm feeling, especially with the double taper. Like, yesterday, when I was doing the 100, it felt like an untapered 100, and that really got in my head," she said. "I was like, why do I feel this bad? And so I was feeling that this morning, going in, and then I was like, we're just gonna see what happens and enjoy the 200 and take it as it comes. I did that, and I'm really happy with how it went, and how I swam it, and also the time."

Tess Whineray

Exiting the meet, what she takes away most is the desire to do this all again a year from now. To her thinking, there's no point in gaining knowledge if she's not going to apply it, and the only place she can do that is at the national championships.

Getting there is the tricky part. Going once is no guarantee of a return, which she knows. Coach Christopher Woodard could already see the fire burning in an athlete even though he could sense she was getting too deep into her feelings – understandably – in her first trip.

"The most dangerous person on the deck, in my mind, is always the athlete who's asking questions. That means they're taking in data and they're learning and they're going to try to apply it," Woodard said. "The weakest swimmer, in my mind, is the swimmer who already thinks they know it. You don't know what you don't know, so if you're sitting there and you're watching some of the best in the world do it, you're able to assimilate that into your next races, you're going to be a better athlete.

"Obviously being on the biggest stage, that in and of itself is the accomplishment, but it really is the process goals along the way, testing her practices, watching her kind of shake her head, doubting herself, can I really do this? Then knowing that, yes, we can absolutely get it. And then she would surmount those hurdles, and then she felt more confident. So, for me, it's watching someone grow, pushing their boundaries, that's the whole point."

Woodard said it's just as important for him to ask some questions, too. Whineray was the first CSU swimmer to qualify for NCAAs in 13 years, and the game has changed a lot. The meet, arguably the greatest short-course yardage field each year, is getting faster all the time. The athletes are elite in performance, but also in training.

Definitely in how they think, how they approach the journey. Whineray has evolved to an elite level, and his job is to help her elevate.

"I don't know what I don't know. I'll spend the off-season, OK, here's where we're at, how do we look at elite-level athletes, integrate some of that, how do we change game plans or modify game plans in the future?" Woodard said. "I'm a student just as much as she is. She's teaching me, but then just being back here and having this experience after so many years is allowing me to talk to different coaches, ask, what are you guys doing with your athletes, what's maybe something that will help us push over the top?"

As Whineray watched, she also felt. The race felt a bit like a bounce-back from the day prior, definitely a positive. Standing on the deck was an accomplishment in and of itself, so she gave herself credit for that, as well.

There was the other side. The relief of the meet concluding, which put her on the emotional edge. She has another big meet approaching – the New Zealand national championships – but she needs a break. About a week. Not just physically, but emotionally.

Every part of her being felt the weight of it all.

And she can't wait to shoulder it again.

"I am really proud of myself, that I hit this goal from three years ago and finally did it," she said. "I'm excited to have a break and then come back with a bit of mindset."

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Tess Whineray

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