University of New Hampshire Athletics
Mission Accomplished: "Four for Four" (photo by Brian Foley)
Insider Report: 'Four for Four'
4/6/2023 11:35:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving, UNH Insider
Swimmers & Divers Accomplished Their Championship Mission
DURHAM, N.H. – Josh Willman, who has built the University of New Hampshire women's swimming and diving team into an America East and regional power over the last three decades, first got wind of the lofty goal a couple of years ago.
"I have goal meetings a couple of times a year and it was right around this time two years ago we were doing end of season meetings," Willman recalled the other day. "A couple of sophomores met with me. They said, 'We've talked to the rest of the team and we want to go four-for-four.'"
Mind you, the Wildcats had just capped off one of the most challenging seasons imaginable with a second consecutive America East Championship.
Led by then-sophomores Madison Linstedt, Jamy Lum, Olivia Stille and Paige Edmier, they had now declared that they wanted to add two more titles to their stash before they concluded their UNH careers.
Willman was all in and sent a text message to the team.
"Wow. 'Four for Four.' That's a tough order. I love it."
He didn't give the text message a whole lot more thought. Until recently.
The Wildcats went about their winning business. They won another America East championship a year ago for three straight. UNH had never won four straight and only one team has captured five.
The Wildcats finished off their mission this season and now have their four consecutive championships.
They rolled to their fourth straight title, piling up an impressive 833 points with contributions from up and down the roster through the four-day event in late February at the Sports & Recreation Center in Worcester, Mass. Bryant, a newcomer to the league and carrying its own championship background, was second with 664 points.
Linstedt had taken a screen shot of the two-year-old 'Wow' text and showed it to Willman.
"I saved that text from coach," Linstedt said. "We had a real closeknit class and were very hardworking and after the first championship we set out to try and do all four, we knew no one had done it. Coach told us how cool it was. He was excited that we had set high goals for ourselves."
Lum received the Dave Alexander Coaches Award for winning the most championships over the past four years – eight career individual tiles and eight relay crowns.
There was a little added pressure to win this year as they looked to close out their fourth title, Linstedt and Lum said.
Bryant entering the league added a bit of the unknown and a new contender for the title. COVID threatened to be a problem again as well.
UNH's last meet before the conference championships was at UConn and two days after getting home, one of the swimmers felt sick and then tested positive for COVID. The rest of the team tested and eventually five tests came back positive.
Willman had the swimmers all go back to wearing masks and they practiced social distancing procedures and were able to stop the spread. The swimmers who tested positive were not at 100 percent for the conference championships, but were able to compete and score points.
Sophomore Ana O'Neil got things off to a good start on the first day of the championships by winning the three-meter diving event and the 200 medley relay team won gold, too.
The Wildcats were on their way.
Freshman Audrey Mahoney won the 50 freestyle and was on four winning relay teams. Lum won the 100 and 200 breaststroke races and a pair of relays. Sophomore Chiara Maria Pradissitto was a part of four relay wins and grad student Shelby Kasse, Stille and junior Abby McKinney were each on two winning relays.
"It was a super cool experience," Lum said. "After sophomore year and then a lot of COVID setbacks and the idea of going four for four and winning every single year, I think all the girls were super proud and super excited and real happy to be a part of making some UNH history."
Overcoming those earlier COVID obstacles helped lay the groundwork for the last two championships.
In 2020, Lum and Linstedt and their classmates won their first title in in mid-February. A month later, days before the NCAA swimming and diving championships were to begin, the pandemic shut down the athletics world.
The swimming and diving season traditionally begins in October and runs until March. Collegiate seasons for the fall of 2020 were for the most part put on hold because of the pandemic. Fall teams practiced, but were restricted from competing until the next spring.
UNH swimming and diving dealt with an added issue: the swimmers and divers could train, but there was no water in the UNH pool that fall.
"It was like we were coaching cross country running or track and field," Willman said. "We were working on the indoor track and doing everything but swimming."
Some women took the bus or drove to Dover to get in a pool. Willman even conducted a practice session on a local pond from a paddleboard.
When the team got back on campus from January break, the pool had been filled. The America East championships were moved to April and the Wildcats won again.
"This senior class has seen it all," Willman said. "They've been through a lot."
The Wildcats persevered.
"That win (2021) was one of the most meaningful," Linstedt said. "We had to work every day of the school year to be able to train. We went through so much, it brought us together. It was tough to get there, but it was real fun."
Lum agreed.
"That year really taught us how to be tough, what resilience is," she said. "There were a lot of things kind of against us and the fact we were able to fight back and win the conference showed us how strong we were."
They rode that strength to 'Four for Four.'
And now?
"I don't know if we can make it five," Willman said. "We graduate a ton of points this year. But we have strong people coming back, too, and there's a lot of talent in this freshman class. Their enthusiasm and confidence will help set the tone."
They'll give it their best shot.
"I have goal meetings a couple of times a year and it was right around this time two years ago we were doing end of season meetings," Willman recalled the other day. "A couple of sophomores met with me. They said, 'We've talked to the rest of the team and we want to go four-for-four.'"
Mind you, the Wildcats had just capped off one of the most challenging seasons imaginable with a second consecutive America East Championship.
Led by then-sophomores Madison Linstedt, Jamy Lum, Olivia Stille and Paige Edmier, they had now declared that they wanted to add two more titles to their stash before they concluded their UNH careers.
Willman was all in and sent a text message to the team.
"Wow. 'Four for Four.' That's a tough order. I love it."
He didn't give the text message a whole lot more thought. Until recently.
The Wildcats went about their winning business. They won another America East championship a year ago for three straight. UNH had never won four straight and only one team has captured five.
The Wildcats finished off their mission this season and now have their four consecutive championships.
They rolled to their fourth straight title, piling up an impressive 833 points with contributions from up and down the roster through the four-day event in late February at the Sports & Recreation Center in Worcester, Mass. Bryant, a newcomer to the league and carrying its own championship background, was second with 664 points.
Linstedt had taken a screen shot of the two-year-old 'Wow' text and showed it to Willman.
"I saved that text from coach," Linstedt said. "We had a real closeknit class and were very hardworking and after the first championship we set out to try and do all four, we knew no one had done it. Coach told us how cool it was. He was excited that we had set high goals for ourselves."
Lum received the Dave Alexander Coaches Award for winning the most championships over the past four years – eight career individual tiles and eight relay crowns.
There was a little added pressure to win this year as they looked to close out their fourth title, Linstedt and Lum said.
Bryant entering the league added a bit of the unknown and a new contender for the title. COVID threatened to be a problem again as well.
UNH's last meet before the conference championships was at UConn and two days after getting home, one of the swimmers felt sick and then tested positive for COVID. The rest of the team tested and eventually five tests came back positive.
Willman had the swimmers all go back to wearing masks and they practiced social distancing procedures and were able to stop the spread. The swimmers who tested positive were not at 100 percent for the conference championships, but were able to compete and score points.
Sophomore Ana O'Neil got things off to a good start on the first day of the championships by winning the three-meter diving event and the 200 medley relay team won gold, too.
The Wildcats were on their way.
Freshman Audrey Mahoney won the 50 freestyle and was on four winning relay teams. Lum won the 100 and 200 breaststroke races and a pair of relays. Sophomore Chiara Maria Pradissitto was a part of four relay wins and grad student Shelby Kasse, Stille and junior Abby McKinney were each on two winning relays.
"It was a super cool experience," Lum said. "After sophomore year and then a lot of COVID setbacks and the idea of going four for four and winning every single year, I think all the girls were super proud and super excited and real happy to be a part of making some UNH history."
Overcoming those earlier COVID obstacles helped lay the groundwork for the last two championships.
In 2020, Lum and Linstedt and their classmates won their first title in in mid-February. A month later, days before the NCAA swimming and diving championships were to begin, the pandemic shut down the athletics world.
The swimming and diving season traditionally begins in October and runs until March. Collegiate seasons for the fall of 2020 were for the most part put on hold because of the pandemic. Fall teams practiced, but were restricted from competing until the next spring.
UNH swimming and diving dealt with an added issue: the swimmers and divers could train, but there was no water in the UNH pool that fall.
"It was like we were coaching cross country running or track and field," Willman said. "We were working on the indoor track and doing everything but swimming."
Some women took the bus or drove to Dover to get in a pool. Willman even conducted a practice session on a local pond from a paddleboard.
When the team got back on campus from January break, the pool had been filled. The America East championships were moved to April and the Wildcats won again.
"This senior class has seen it all," Willman said. "They've been through a lot."
The Wildcats persevered.
"That win (2021) was one of the most meaningful," Linstedt said. "We had to work every day of the school year to be able to train. We went through so much, it brought us together. It was tough to get there, but it was real fun."
Lum agreed.
"That year really taught us how to be tough, what resilience is," she said. "There were a lot of things kind of against us and the fact we were able to fight back and win the conference showed us how strong we were."
They rode that strength to 'Four for Four.'
And now?
"I don't know if we can make it five," Willman said. "We graduate a ton of points this year. But we have strong people coming back, too, and there's a lot of talent in this freshman class. Their enthusiasm and confidence will help set the tone."
They'll give it their best shot.
Players Mentioned
Free/IM
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Back/IM
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Fly/Back
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Breast/Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Sprint/Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Fly/Free/IM
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free/Fly
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free/Back
/ Women's Swimming and DivingJamy Lum America East Champions Post-Meet Interview
Sunday, April 25
UNH Head Coach Josh Willman America East Champions Post-Meet Interview
Sunday, April 25
UNH Head Coach Josh Willman Day 2 America East Swimming Championships Post-Meet Interview
Saturday, April 24
UNH Head Coach Josh Willman America East Swimming Championships Preview Interview (4/22/21)
Thursday, April 22