SAN DIEGO – For most swimmers, qualifying for the Olympics and competing for their country is the main goal from the moment they first touch the water.
Aztec swimming and diving team members sophomore Kristina Murphy and senior Morganne McKennan were both just a step away from achieving that goal. Both had qualified to compete at the now postponed Olympic Time Trials, where the members of Team USA that compete at the Olympic Games are selected based on athletes' performance at an event held in Omaha, Neb.
Murphy qualified for the trials back in June 2019 while competing for her local swim club during the offseason, recording a time of 2 minutes, 33.00 seconds in the 200 Long Course (LC) Breaststroke at the SN CCA Summer Sanders LCM Invitational.
McKennan qualified for the time trials in November while competing with the Aztecs at the 2019 Mizzou Invitational. Her time of 1:09.80 in the 100 LC Breast not only was a qualifying mark for the chance to go to the Olympics, but the fastest swim in the event in program history.
Murphy had started prepping for the time trials in late February and early March after completing the collegiate competition season. McKennan had qualified to compete at the 2020 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in the 100 SC (short course) Breaststroke, so the senior was not only prepping for the time trials but also readying for a chance at an individual national championship.
Then, the coronavirus pandemic caused a change in plans.
For the safety and well-being of the competing athletes, the 2020 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships was canceled and more recently, the 2020 Olympic Games were postponed until no later than summer 2021.
GoAztecs.com caught up with the two swimmers to discuss their reactions to the cancellation of the NCAA Championships and postponement of the Olympic Games and their future plans due the current climate.
Kristina Murphy's original interview was conducted March 23, 2020, before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had officially announced the postponement of the games.
GoAztecs.com: Kristina, what was your reaction when you heard the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic?
Kristina Murphy: "I personally wasn't going to NCAA (Championships), but for the girls who were, they were devastated, obviously. To make it to NCAAs is an honor and shows how well you did during the season, and to have that cut short and to miss out on the opportunity to go is just heartbreaking."
GoAztecs.com: What are your thoughts on the Olympics possibly postponing the games for up to a year?
Murphy: "I want (competing) to be as safe as possible. It is onfusing because people are pulling back from going to the Olympics, countries are stating they won't go, and USA Swimming asked to have it postponed, and with it all up in the air right now and no one knowing what is going to happen, it is hard for me and other swimmers who have made it to trials and other professional athletes who are most likely going to the Olympics. We have to think about 'well, if I don't have the pool space to practice in, how am I going to go to the trials and perform at my best?'. I don't have access to a pool (right now). It's hard for me, if the trials do happen and the Olympics happen (as scheduled), it will be hard to feel that I will be able to give my best because I haven't been able to train."
GoAztecs.com: As a qualifier to the Olympic trials, do you feel you are able to train at the level you need to as to be able to compete against the country's best swimmers?
Murphy: "Swimming is a whole other sport. You can run, you can ride a bike, you can do at-home workouts, but getting in the pool is just a whole different type of exercise and you cannot really imitate that in any other form of exercise. It definitely is very hard to continue training because I know I am not getting the same type of workout that I would if I had a pool and was training. I have tried running a bit, I have done ab workouts at home, I've rode my bike around but it's hard to imitate swimming outside of the water."
GoAztecs.com: What forms of exercise have you picked up with your time in the water being limited due to the regulations surrounding the coronavirus?
Murphy: "I've tried to pick up running and I've done some bike rides around my house. It's definitely given me a look into to what life without swimming would be like and I have been trying to find out what I will enjoy doing to move my body once I'm done swimming."
GoAztecs.com: If the Olympics are postponed, would you continue to train for the rescheduled trials?
Murphy: "Right now, I'd rather have the games pushed back because I am definitely not in the same shape I was even two months ago. If it is pushed back, I will still go to trials and hopefully they will honor people who have made trials and let them use their cuts previously achieved."
GoAztecs.com followed up with Murphy after the postponement of the Olympic Games on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
GoAztecs.com: What were your emotions when you heard the Olympic Games were postponed? Were you relieved?
Murphy: "It was definitely the right decision by the Olympic committee. Trial swimmers haven't been able to train to the same level as they would have. Now with the Olympics and trials postponed it provides the opportunity for swimmers to get back into shape and feel prepared for the meet. Trials and the Olympics are meets in which swimmers are able to showcase all their hard work and with everything that is going on right now, the postponement was news that everyone wanted to hear."
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GoAztecs.com: Morganne, what was your reaction as a senior and NCAA qualifier to the news the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic?
Morganne McKennan: "It was honestly a pretty big shock. I was getting pho with a friend and Courtney (Vincent) had sent me a tweet that the NCAA came out with saying that the championships were canceled. I've been swimming my whole life, so it still hasn't processed for me that I'm done swimming, necessarily. It's weird. I had a bad last practice (before NCAA's were canceled), I was giving Mike (Shrader) a little sass, and I was a little frustrated that morning. I wish I would have ended on a different note. It still feels surreal to me."
GoAztecs.com: What were your thoughts and emotions when you found out the 2020 Olympic Games were going to be postponed?
McKennan: "I expected the Olympics to be postponed. I'm interested to see how that affects every sport training wise because you currently can not be out and about and training in the way you would need to in order to compete at an elite level. This whole climate is new to all of us."
GoAztecs.com: As a qualifier to the Olympic Swimming Trials, with the Olympics officially being postponed, are you planning to continue to train to compete for when the games are rescheduled?
McKennan: "With swimming, it's probably a lot harder than other sports to get back into (shape). You're really supposed to be in the water almost every day and it's not suggested to take more than a day off at a time so you don't lose the feeling of the water, so I don't think there's a decision for me to make. (Due to the current climate), it might be time for me to start my life (after swimming) and go from there."
GoAztecs.com: How has this taste of life without swimming been for you? What have you learned about yourself?
McKennan: "It has taught me how to manage my time with the ability to have free time scheduled in. I went from 20 hours a week in the pool to no school, no swimming and staying at home. It's really made me reflect on myself and my identity and who I can be without a sport and without something that significant in my life anymore."
GoAztecs.com: What are your future plans after earning your degree in December 2020?
McKennan: "I will still be around (San Diego State) helping as a student coach for the swim team, which I'm really excited for. I'm looking into getting my real estate license with all the free time I have right now. I can't necessarily go get a job (while she is still completing her degree through December 2020), but I want to begin taking steps towards starting my life and future."