Recruiting key to success in the pool

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At Shippensburg University, recruitment is vital to the continued success of the women’s swim team.

MacKenna Angert, a member of the Shippensburg University’s women’s swim team, often assists with the recruitment process.

Angert is a host who welcomes recruits on visits to SU. She gets to talk to incoming athletes, have them stay at her place, give them tours of campus and answer any questions they may have. In some situations, she has even taken recruits to sit in classrooms or have meetings with professors.

College sports teams recruit all over the United States.

“A college in New Jersey, for example, will recruit swimmers all the way in California,” Angert said.

SU recruits get to experience the world of swimming at SU when they come to visit.

“The team does a lot when recruits come to visit,” Angert said. “We all make sure to go out to eat dinner and lunch.”

“I help with recruits because for in order for our team to be successful, we need to make sure that the program stays young and fresh and recruits are the way to do that. It’s important to find the perfect swimmers that will help complete our team goals for the future,” Angert said of why she likes to participate in the recruitment process.

Angert has had a good record with recruits for the team but claims that not all of the glory goes to herself. The whole team “puts in a great effort to gain recruits and the whole process would be useless without the efforts of my team.”

Angert’s favorite experience with recruiting new swimmers has been when recruits verbally commit to the team the day of their overnight. “There is no better feeling than knowing that I have done a good job in being able to successfully help the team for next year.”

When Angert made her decision to attend SU, head swimming coach Tim Verge made her feel welcome.

“My coach made me feel very comfortable. He welcomed my experience with swimming and I felt an instant connection with the team, pool and coach,” Angert said. This experience is very similar to the one the swim team creates with new recruits. Like other teams at SU, the swim team is very close and provides a family atmosphere for team members and for new recruits to walk into.

“They make everyday fun and we do everything together,” Angert said. “If someone is having a bad day, we know instantly what to do to cheer that person up. We are a family.”