Blaire Anderson & Co. preparing for Last Chance Meet, NCAA Championships

Ahead of this weekend's Last Chance Meet, Texas A&M Director of Swimming & Diving Blaire Anderson joined TexAgs Live to recap the teams' performance at the SEC Championship in Georgia, with men finishing in fifth and the women coming in eighth.

Key notes from Blaire Anderson interview

• I think the season has gone really well, it's always an adjustment when a new staff comes in and implements things we want to see in the program. The kids have adapted extremely well. They have been having fun and so have the coaches. We are excited to see what NCAAs has in store for us.
   
• I try my best to be in the moment and enjoy the results and accomplishments as they come in. I also try to enjoy the practices and the day-to-day, it's been long but the small victories along the way have been very enjoyable. I tend to look forward, and it makes me anxious looking towards the next step.
   
• This was our first SEC as a new staff, and we huddled up and said that this was historic because now we have competed as one team and not separate programs.
   
• This is the deepest and fastest SEC championship that we've ever had. Texas came into the conference this year, but it made it harder and faster to qualify for finals. It was cool to see our team challenge that to make that final and put the Aggies in the final.
   
• Some athletes had better performances, and some needed improvements. Our conversation with them ahead of time was to be prepared to ride the ride and celebrate each other's victories. We did what we wanted as far as coming together as a team.
   
• Jaxon Bowshire was pretty incredible. On the last night, we had finished individuals. He had qualified earlier in the day for the finals. He looked so composed, and he just hit it out of the park. There were more eight’s and nine’s than I've ever seen with diving before. He was chill. He's a high-level athlete who has competed at the Olympics, and the sky is the limit for him.
   
• Connor Foote did exceptionally well. Those performances were amazing. I think he has more in store. Duncan Sherrard, our lead sprint coach, has done a great job helping them all capitalize on their talents and find the talent that those sprinters need to compete. Those sprinters have to be a part of those relays, and Connor provided exactly what the team needed in terms of speed. I'm excited to see him turn it on in the NCAA.
   
• A freshman, Jacob Wimberly, was successful out of high school. Some of his best performances came from 2022. Anytime you're fast as a youth, you wonder how it will translate later, but he went through all his best times. Things get faster. He has not qualified for the NCAA Championship yet, but he’s definitely the future of this program.
   
• The Last Chance Meet is this Thursday through Saturday, prelims start at 10 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m. We have Cal coming, SMU, Texas, Incarnate Word, Rice and a few other programs. This is the last opportunity to try and qualify for the NCAA Championship.
   
• We would love to see people come out and support them. They've worked really hard. We are three weeks away from the NCAAs for women and four for men. Those who we feel are safe are going right into training, but those right-path bubbles will compete this weekend.