But honestly, I didn't mind; being objective and reporting the facts and adding your two cents is never easy, nor should it be. Looking back, I took pride in my articles and had fun doing interviews. I pushed my editors for space and made an effort to reward these women.

Although I may have associations with the female swimmers, divers, and their coaches, I remain an outsider. I'll never be on the team or be in the locker room before finals on the third day of a championship meet.

I do know this: people swam fast and people dove well. However, the team's ranking dropped, and the Crimson had a mediocre record. It was a mixed bag.

Captain Pia Chock performed at a level above the rest the entire season. She swam best times and outpaced most of the conference up until the Ivy Championships. She'll leave Eliot House and Blodgett Pool with her head held high, and don't be surprise if her fastest swimming is yet to come.

It took some time, but others followed Chock's lead. Sophomore Jessi Walter backstroked her way within inches of two varsity records, and seniors such as Lillian Brown, Angie Peluse, and Camila McLean continued to improve on three years of already stellar performances.

It seems like others are just on their way back: Janna McDougall, Anna Fraser, and departing captain Ali Shipley showed that in no way were they going to give up on a season or on a career because of a slump or an injury. These women made it happen.

The hardest part of writing these articles was seeing girls miss out. Seeing Ivy titlest Lovisa Gustafsson miss most of her season because of sickness, and bearing witness to the rocky return of sophomore sensation Arianne Cohen. These girls specifically know what it is to be a hardcore competitor, to suffer though the Olympic-style preparation they received in high school and the rigor they met in Cambridge.