By Tommy O’Donnell
odonnel@grinnell.edu
Last Saturday, Pioneer men’s swimmer Ben Grubb ’19 received the Midwest Conference swim and dive performer of the week after a strong display at the Grinnell Mini-Invite.
“I didn’t think too much about it at first … I was surprised because it was a pretty small meet, so I didn’t think they would even cover it,” said Grubb.
This marked the second time this season that Grubb has received the honor of performer of the week. The award could not have come at a more perfect time, with the Midwest Conference meet taking place this weekend. “I guess it’s nice to be recognized before Conference, but … I’m mostly just focusing on Conference now though,” Grubb said.
Grubb competes in a number of different races, but when asked for his favorite, it was a no brainer. “My favorite is the 200 freestyle … that’s also the one I am best at. I like it because it is a sort of challenge in that it is not quite a distance [race] but also not a sprint … it’s fun to work out a strategy.”
As a senior, this will be Grubb’s final season competing for the Pioneers, and he is happy with the work that he has put in thus far.
“I think it’s going really well. I’ve been faster in season than my other in-season times have been … so I think that suggests that I will have a good final meet. Normally it’s hard to tell how you are going to do at the end … but I think my in-season times have been good.”
Looking back at his time with the team, Grubb was extremely pleased with his experience and the people he met. “I’ve really enjoyed it. I think I’ve improved a lot over the years and … Coach Tim [Hammond] and Coach Erin [Hurley] are really good … so I’ve enjoyed having them as coaches.”
With graduation looming, Grubb plans to continue swimming competitively, but in a completely different setting.
“I think I’d like to go into other forms of swimming, like triathlon and just compete in events like that … I did the Grinnell College triathlon that the swim team hosts, last year, and really enjoyed that.”
Grubb is confident that he and the team will do well at this week’s Conference meet. “I think it should go well. Training has been going really well … I’ve been feeling good in practice.”
The Pioneer’s swim and dive team will take part in the Midwest Conference Tournament, running Friday, Feb. 15 to Sunday, Feb. 17 at the Russell K. Osgood Pool.
