School bells and the starting whistle blur together as the men’s swim and dive team scrambles to balance their academic and athletic lives.

“It’s a little stressful and a little too much to worry about, but I don’t think it’s that big of a problem,” junior swimmer Angelo Asta said. 

The men’s swim and dive team compete at two meets against Fraser and Romeo in the same time period as the midterms. Swimmers with already busy schedules are challenged to find time for everything.

“It’s a little bit stressful trying to balance schoolwork and swim,” senior swimmer Michael Hagen said.

The swimmers foresaw the meets happening on midterms, yet there is a sense of anxiety. Coach Brian Cahill understands this and knows the swimmers need to balance both athletics and academics. He did cut morning practice on Thursday because of midterms to help accommodate the swimmers studying.

“I do understand though that they do need to study and their grades are just as important as their performance in the meets,” Cahill said. “I understand that they may not be able to make it, but at the same time they are putting the team down.”

With busy schedules, multitasking proves to be difficult for athletes. To the swimmers, this is not entirely the case as some find it not a huge burden on their grades. 

“[The meets won’t affect my grade] as much as most people would think,” Hagen said. “During that time, it’s whether you really know it or you don’t and you’ve been preparing for a week already.”

Although there’s definitely a sense of dread in the air as midterms roll in, it proves to be little challenge for the men’s swim and dive team with Cahill making little changes to practice scheduling. With Midterm exams and two swim meets ahead, only time will tell for the athletes’ success.