Brian Travers Senior / Freestyle Chicago, Ill.	Some people still ask me why I decided to go to college at Saint Mary’s. I do not really know why. It might have been the beautiful campus, the small setting, or that I would feel at home with all of the seminarians getting as much action as I was. I realize now that I made the right choice. I cannot imagine doing as well at any other school. One of the reasons I feel this way is because of the swim team. Freshman year would have been incredibly lonely if not for the team. My only friend I had when I came to Saint Mary’s was my roommate, a kid nicknamed Taco. I say he was my only friend because his high-pitched nasal voice and body odor alienated anyone else in the hall from entering the room. But the people on the swim team accepted me right away. As strange as it sounds, switching roommates from someone named Taco to someone named Spanky worked out well. You become pretty close to a person that you spend twenty-three hours a day with. Because of Spanky and everyone else on the team, I have learned and accomplished quite a bit which I would like to share right now. • I have learned that shaving my head is not a fashion move I want to take again (although, I have been told that I was way ahead of my time with the “Casper” or “Powder” look). • When Mom asks how swimming is going, not to tell her the part about practicing with a guy nicknamed “Molester.” • I broke a record; it goes to show that if you put your mind to it, you too can eat the most plates of food at China King Buffet. Oh, and I also had the mile record for a while too. • Steve, I mean Sean, has many nicknames, some more acceptable than others. Also, Sean is not “straight outta Compton,” no matter how rough he makes Chicago seem. • Kyle taught me to “Go for the Gold..” • A joke is not funny unless it has been ripped off of a movie or a sketch on Saturday Night Live. • Do not tell the Coach you are a distance swimmer until you understand how long 1650 yards is. • Piercing my ear is another fashion don’t for me. • Treatments are not only things given from the Wellness center. • There are actually people who will admit that they enjoy Hanson’s music (and Coach, we don’t think that much less of you for it; well not that much less). And these are only a few of the things that I’ve learned here. The real point of this is to salute those who helped me learn them. Sean McCarthy was one of the first people that I met here in college. He was a great guy to look up to as a freshman. I fashioned the way attempt to be a captain in the way that I remember him. Luke Sassolino was another great guy, though I did not really look up to him being that I was five feet taller than him. He introduced me to college water polo. His last year on the team was my freshman year and he still makes an effort to support the team. Even freshman this year know him pretty well. But seriously, he is a great guy and it is a pleasure to have swam with him, despite what high school he went to. Benny and Justin were terrific guys to know, too. Benny led by example and Justin was good at keeping the team together. Schultz did what he could to keep the few traditions we had intact, and he always knew how to make the guy’s team laugh. But no one entertained like Kyle. He made us all laugh in between sets but still worked hard during sets. Tony (the swimmer formerly known as Spanky) has always taken a lot of grief on the team and has not let it slow him down. Truth is, he is a great guy to have apart of the team and as a friend; it would not be the same with him. Sean, Steve, and Bobbo never let me or anyone else forget what high school we came from. Sean keeps the rest of the guys and probably the team motivated to do the best we can do with his effort to be first in and first done with practice and obsession with statistics (he also has an obsession with bears and berries, but that is not as important). The name Logan will always remind me of the person that stole my only record. But he deserves it; his tremendous work ethic and endless supply of Powerbars are things that I have strived for since he has been here. Logan and Heidi make sure that I do not slack off and give it all I can in practice and in meets. Last, but not least, I would like to salute Coach. Eric has gone far beyond his role as just a coach though. His office is always open to talk to him. He spend some long days at school so we can have morning practice. You do your best to make sure that the workouts actually do not get too repetitive and actually do work for us. I keep going, but basically all I wanted to say was: Thanks Coach. I may not have qualified for the Olympics or made finals at conference, but I know that I have had a lot of fun and personal accomplishment the last couple of years thanks to everyone that is on and has been on this team. Go Cards!