Leveling The Playing Field
10/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Oct. 2, 2009
By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
Seth Huston had grown so accustomed to success that rational thought led him to assume that he could turn the women's swimming program at Rice into a national power similar to that at Truman State University, where he won consecutive Division II national titles in 2001 and 2002.
Huston was accomplished in his field, so there was little reason for anyone to surmise that he would stumble on South Main. The academic rigors at Rice enabled Huston to recruit and sign diverse and dedicated student-athletes, characteristics that translate well for swimmers who fully invest their minds and bodies to honing their craft year-round.
As for that pesky issue of facilities, Huston was confident the powers that be would provide him with a Division I-caliber competition pool, and once that final obstacle was hurdled, Huston could go about his business of building a formidable women's swimming program at Rice.
For seven years Huston fought with one arm tied behind his back, producing All-Americans and contending for conference championships at a clip far greater than should be expected of anyone hampered by his constraints. Last Friday Huston finally received the final piece of the puzzle he envisioned completing upon his May 2002 hiring. The grand opening of the Gibbs Recreation Center brought with it a 50-meter pool that vaults Rice into any conversation centered on impressive facilities.
"I thought that by being able to out-recruit people and the training that we do we could get from the level where we're at to the next level without necessarily a great pool, but those are the sort of things recruits are biting on," Huston said of exceptional facilities. "If I look back over history, the University of Georgia had a gawd-awful little pool for years and years and years, and they probably built their new facility in the mid-90s. They instantly leapfrogged into a nationally competitive team.
"Texas A&M used to have a crummy facility, and since they've built theirs their men are consistently in the top 20 ... and their women have been as high as fourth. Those are just two examples of programs with no coaching staff changes and new facilities getting a different look from a different level of athlete. The reality is that stuff (facilities) turns heads."
Top-flight athletes serve as the foundation to any thriving program, and while he skillfully coaxed Brittany Massengale and Diane Gu to swim for Rice, Huston begrudgingly watched far too many potentially impact swimmers show initial interest only to bypass his program because of the antiquated pool housed in the nether regions of Autry Court.
Many of those swimming prospects not only sought a competitive swimming environment but a college program that provided access to the facilities where they could develop the talent to compete internationally. No matter the grandeur of the international stage - from the Olympics to the Pan-American Games - training at 50 meters is preferential. The pool at the outdated rec center was half that length, and Huston could lure only so many Olympic hopefuls with insufficient facilities. For years he had bounced around Houston securing venues that could provide his swimmers offseason access to 50-meter pools, but there comes a point where the hospitality of the Jewish Community Center should no longer be required. If the Owls were going to ascend beyond being a competitive Conference USA program, Rice needed to construct an on-site competition pool that would lure elite swimmers.
The original plans for the Gibbs Rec Center, presented years after Huston was initially approached and asked to submit a wish list for the facility, did not include a long-course pool. When Huston pointed out that a new short-course pool would have a negligible impact on his program, Rice athletic director Chris Del Conte insisted that the blueprints undergo an amendment. When informed that such a radical change would increase the costs, Del Conte raised the necessary funds.
"We have a propensity to shortcut. That was not going to happen on our watch," Del Conte said. "We didn't shortcut Tudor Fieldhouse ... and we weren't going to shortcut the rec center.
"It (the additional fund raising) was just a responsibility. I don't think it was problematic, it's just that you've got to go do it. Dare to be great."
Great is what Del Conte and Huston got. The amenities are in place for Huston and his team to feel at home, with locker rooms, team rooms and coaches' offices completing the complex that is now the aquatics center.
"That's definitely something our team has been missing," junior Ashten Ackerman said of the locker rooms. "We haven't had the camaraderie of being able to have our own space; we've had to share with everyone. This will definitely get us mentally in the mindset of being a Division I team and being up there with other teams at our level and being able to compete with them now that we have the facilities that they do."
Even the outdoor location of the pool, something that might seem odd to a layman, is viewed as a benefit. Rice athletes prefer to train outdoors, and given the local climate, don't anticipate missing many workouts. Huston sited numerous examples of programs with outdoor pools, with the setup at the Gibbs Rec Center supporting the desires of recruits.
From Stanford and San Jose State to Arizona, Auburn and Florida State, programs based in warmer climates train almost exclusively outdoors.
"I really like how open it is and the fact that it's going to allow us to bring out some new fans," Ackerman said. "I know a lot of the times Autry is always packed when we have a swim meet, but that's just because it's our friends and we bring out who we know. I feel like having it at the rec center it's going to bring out people that don't necessarily know a swimmer or know about the team, but they are going to see the activities going on as they work out and they'll come take a look at it. That'll bring some new fans to the sport."
What the new pool has begun to bring are curious recruits. Huston anticipates roughly 20 recruits visiting campus this fall, and he plans on signing a half-dozen. He has taken to meeting the recruits and their families at the old pool on Fridays and introducing them to the Gibbs Rec Center later in the weekend. The contrast in the two facilities is stark, and by the tone of the correspondence from those who have already toured the facility, what Rice has built is undeniably impressive.
Furthermore, the caliber of prospects showing interest is beyond what Huston could previously recruit. As he anticipated, new doors are ajar.
"The reviews have been really positive from them," Huston said. "Out of that 20 I'd say five or six would be pretty big impact swimmers walking in the door here. My goal is if we can land two national-level swimmers every year, that gets you eight over four years. That gives you a team that going to be competitive in that top 25. That's the first step."
Said Ackerman: "We're getting a different kind of athlete. We're getting girls that have Olympic trial cuts, the ones that would sign with Stanford and Duke and places like that, and we're getting them now because we have the facilities to compete with them. Now that we have a facility like this, there is no reason we can't be as good as SMU or beat U of H."
Before the Owls can tackle the task of challenging SMU for conference supremacy, they have to first settle into their new digs. Ackerman and some upperclassmen have designed plans to decorate their locker room and commemorate the significance of this season, one that will be outwardly known for the introduction of the new pool but, among those closest to the program, should symbolize a turning point. The Owls are fiercely proud of what they have accomplished under Huston, but they realize that the bar has been raised with the improvement in facilities. Like Huston, they believe the present is akin to a program renaissance.
On Nov. 6-7 the Owls will host New Orleans and Incarnate Word in a double dual meet at the Gibbs Rec Center, an event that will serve as the initial competition at the new pool. Huston anticipates the hubbub that typically accompanies a grand opening, and he hopes to host multiple dual meets plus an early-season invitational every year. Gauging the responses he has received from the swimming community, he expects greatness along the lines of what he dared to dream seven years ago.
"I've gotten a couple of emails from coaches. One coach wrote, `I love your new facility. You must be in heaven,'" Huston said as he read from his computer. "Another one read, `The long-course pool looks great. It looks first class.'" Huston laughed modestly, a muted expression of joy that told the tale of how long he had waited for those emails to arrive.
Players Mentioned
