“To be an inclusive community” is one of the values St. Olaf claims in their mission statement, and the St. Olaf Swim and Dive Team stands true to this. This season will not only mark Bob Hauck’s thirty-fourth year of coaching the Swim and Dive Team, but roughly a hundred years of the Hauck family being part of the team whether it be as a coach or a swimmer. The Hauck legacy is not only shown within the team, but throughout St. Olaf and Northfield as well.
Located inside the Skoglund Athletic Center is the Dave Hauck Award, an honor in tribute to Dave Hauck – previous long term coach of the swim and dive team and Bob Hauck’s father – given to a male and female senior student-athlete demonstrating high levels of excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. Within the Northfield community, Bob Hauck runs a swim school for children the ages of four to fourteen alongside a few of his student-athletes. To him, the team is not just a community of athletes, but one, big family working and supporting one another.
This notion of support and family does not just end with Bob Hauck either. When asking current swimmers Annika Cleven, Maureen Wainwright, and Andrew Noecker why they chose to continue to swim in college, they unanimously agreed that it was the welcoming environment, support of their teammates, and Bob Hauck that drew them in.
Not only do current Oles choose to continue to be part of this team, but past Oles come back to support the team. “I have swimmers who I’ve watched swim for my dad growing up come back and immediately recognize who I am”, says Bob Hauck in regards to past Oles returning for the annual alumni meet hosted by the swim team. To Bob Hauck, it is the uniqueness of this longevity and continuity of one family being rooted in a team for so many years that has made it a special community to be a part of.
This fall, the swim and dive team welcomed fourteen new members to their community, and is looking forward to the new talent and energy they will contribute. The team is excited for their season to officially begin on September 26 in order to start racing. This season, they are very competitive within their conference and are anticipating an exciting season full of team and individual success. The team will have individuals who will compete this season for conference titles and national qualifying as well. When asked what is he most excited for this season, Bob Hauck says he is looking forward to seeing the individual successes that each swimmer will have throughout the season because, in swimming, “everybody can have success in a meaningful way regardless of whether they win or lose”. Bob Hauck along with the swim team is grateful for the continual support from the St. Olaf community, and especially Athletic Director, Ryan Bowles, for helping the swim team stay rooted by hiring Assistant Swim and Dive Coaches – Victoria Campbell and Nathan France – full-time here at St. Olaf College.
Meet the team! Get to know your fellow Oles on the Swim and Dive team
Name: Andrew Noecker
Year: senior
Hometown: St. Paul, Minn
Event: freestyle
Andrew Noecker, twenty-one years old, is a Math major with a Statistics/Data concentration. As of this fall, his favorite fun fact to tell is that he lived across the street from the site where “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” was filmed. Beyond the pool and “a beautiful day in the neighborhood”, Andrew is a trombonist in Jazz II as well as the president of the Sports Analytics Club here on the Hill. He continued his swimming career in college in order to improve and find a community here at St. Olaf which led him to describe his time on the team as rewarding. Andrew looks forward to seeing the team’s energy and times improve at their mid-season conference meet in December as well as the team’s annual holiday party.
Name: Maureen Wainwright
Year: senior
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Event: distance freestyle
Maureen Wainwright, twenty-one years old, is a Political Science major who is part of the TRIO ETS program here at St. Olaf. A fun fact about her, is that she has never broken a bone before, and recommends everyone to try granola with yogurt and peanut butter the next time they are in Stav Dining Hall. Maureen is excited to train at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, hang out on the beach in Florida with the team, and have some fun at their annual Interim Team Talent Show. Since she swam her entire life, Maureen realized she wasn’t ready to stop swimming and joined the team. She has found her time swimming for St. Olaf to be very motivating as well as a positive and welcoming experience that has helped her grow.
Name: Annika Cleven
Year: senior
Hometown: Kingstown, Tenn
Event: butterfly
Annika Cleven, twenty-one years old, is a Math major with a Statistics/Data Science and Mathematical Biology concentration. Outside of swimming, she was part of the Ole Leadership Cohort last year and is currently a member of the Women in Math club and the Student Athlete Chi Alpha Sigma fraternity here on campus. Swimming for fifteen years of her life, Annika finds swimming to be enjoyable and a way for her to relieve stress during the school year. One word Anika would use to describe her time on the swim team is “fun” because she is looking forward to the bus rides for the away meets with the team, the training trip in Fort Lauderdale, and being with the team overall. A caf creation that she recommends is strawberry yogurt, chex, peanut butter, and honey (if you are feeling a little crazy).
