Colwell’s court: Evan Holder — Swimming

This past weekend, the Hopkins men’s swimming team placed third at the TPSC Invitational, toppling records and garnering victories along the way. Though the team saw incredible performances from a variety of swimmers, this week The News-Letter has chosen senior Evan Holder as Athlete of the Week.

Historically, Holder has been a top competitor for the Jays throughout his four years. He currently holds the school records in the 200 free, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM and is a 2014 NCAA Champion in the 800-free relay. During the past two seasons, he has garnered All-American status in an astonishing seven events each year, for a career total of 18 All-American titles.

Clearly, Holder is a competitor who consistently performs, and this weekend was no different. On the opening night of the Invitational, Holder beat his personal best time in the 200 free while competing in the 800-free Relay. With a time of 1:36.93 seconds,

Holder became the first swimmer in Hopkins history to break the 1:37 mark. His triumphs only continued on day two of competition as Holder went on to break his own school record in the 100 breast two consecutive times, racing 55.05 in the prelims and 54.82 in the championship. On the final day of competition, Holder went on to break a pool record in the 200 IM, winning the event by 2.12 seconds in the championship race.

Though the statistics alone certainly speak for themselves, Holder was kind enough to join us in Colwell’s Court to discuss how he felt about his performances this past weekend and discuss his goals for the future.

The News-Letter:How did it feel to break your own school’s record in the 200 free?

Evan Holder: It’s exciting and reinvigorating. I have improved my 200 free time each year for the last two years (sophomore 1:37.77 seconds and junior 1:37.10 seconds) but this drop feels a little different. Even though I only shaved off about 0.2 seconds, breaking through the 1:37.00 mark feels like a more significant drop.

N-L: Was the team as a whole satisfied with the third place finish at the TPSC?

EH: Yes, absolutely. At this type of meet, Hopkins is not concerned so much with how we place or our season record. Each team is a little different, but generally swimming teams are judged solely by their performance at the NCAA meet in March. Meets like TPSC are designed to allow swimmers a chance to qualify for the NCAA meet. We unofficially qualified 13 guys and 10 women, and that’s a lot! Not to mention, it is likely more will qualify at the College Cup in February.

N-L: What is your favorite event to compete in and why?

EH: The 200 IM — I like sprinting (50s and 100s) the most, but 200s are really where I’ve had the most success. I also like swimming all the strokes. The 200 IM allows you to sprint a 50 of each stroke.

N-L: Do you have any pre-race superstitions?

EH: I’m not very superstitious, but I do have a couple of quirks:

1. Before your swim, you warm up in the warm up pool pretty close to your race. I make sure to towel off extremely well before heading behind the blocks because I need my suit to be completely dry before the race.

2. I always bring a couple of extra caps and an extra set of goggles behind the blocks before a race.

N-L: What are your personal goals for the rest of the season?

EH: I’ve got some personal goal times like 1:43 in the 200 IM, 1:34 in the 200 free and winning a national title or two. But these goal times are just times and rank secondary to the real goal: to become the best version of myself. That might mean winning a national title at NCAAs or winning two or shaving 0.1 s off my 200 free time or even just challenging a rival. Whatever it is, [this means] putting everything out on the line. No stone is left unturned this season, it’s my last.

N-L: The team has a month off until your next competition on Jan. 4 in Jupiter, Fla. How will you be preparing over the next few weeks while on winter break?

EH: This next part of the season is a grind. When you get home for break, it’s critical to put in just as much or more work than before. With winter break comes the most intense training.