With the completion of her final season as a Colorado College swimmer, senior Olivia Dilorati, like all college athletes, faces the inevitable, bittersweet end of her collegiate career. The women’s swim and dive team finished a successful 2016 season by placing fourth at their SCAC division championship. Feeling proud of herself and her teammates, Dilorati reflected on the season as a whole.
“I think this year was a time of transition,” said Dilorati. “Although we had our initial challenges, honestly I think it made the team that much closer and more of a family. Overall I would say 2016 was about overcoming challenges in and out of the pool, but we absolutely overcame those and we got even closer, making the team dynamic even stronger.”
And as she prepares to move on not only from her team but from CC, it is these best friends on the swim and dive team that Dilorati says will be the most important part of her swimming career.
“Being a part of the CC swim and dive team has defined my time at CC,” says Dilorati. “My current and past teammates have truly been some of the most incredible people I have ever met. It was, and always will be something I am proud to be associated with.”
The friendships range beyond just teammates, extending also to the coaches to whom she attributes much of her growth and success. Dilorati praised her coaches and explained her lack of surprise when they were awarded Staff of the Year at this year’s 2016 SCAC finals.
“Honestly I was not surprised that our coaching staff won ‘Staff of the Year,’” said Dilorati. “Coach Anne Goodman-James’ love for her athletes and coaching staff makes you want to work hard and love the sport. I can’t imagine having had the successes I have had throughout my four years if it wasn’t for her. I have learned so much from this woman and I am so lucky to have had this experience as one of her athletes. [The team’s new assistant coach Franco Pacheco] added a different dynamic to our coaching staff making it more fun and overall beneficial. We all have appreciated his time and effort coaching us. He has taught us so many valuable skills both in and out of the pool which made us all that much better during SCACs.”
For Dilorati, the season didn’t end at the SCACs. For the third year in a row, Dilorati earned a place in the NCAA Division III National Championships. She was invited to compete in the 100-yard butterfly where Dilorati ranked No. 6 nationally in D-III and the 50-yard freestyle where Dilorati was ranked No. 16. She also gained the opportunity to compete in 100-yard freestyle after producing a “B” cut time during the season.
As the representative for CC, Dilorati did not let her school down. She became the third female swimmer in school history to receive All-American honors due to her third place finish in the 100-yard butterfly at the NCAA DIII National Championships. In the 100-yard butterfly, Dilorati posted the highest finish ever by a CC swimmer at a national meet while simultaneously breaking her own school record with a time of 54.83.
Dilorati also placed 22nd in the 50-yard freestyle preliminaries. A few days later, Dilorati swam for the last time of her collegiate career in the 100-yard freestyle race. And she went out strong. Though Dilorati placed 33rd in the 100-yard freestyle, she narrowly beat her own previous school record of 52.15 set last month at the SCACs with a new time of 52.10.
Dilorati has been an accomplished swimmer her entire career at CC and her talent will be greatly missed. And Dilorati will miss CC as well.
“Although we’re here to swim, it is so much more than that,” said Dilorati. “The type of team dynamic that we have is rare to find. Being a part of something like this is something few have had the opportunity to have, not only at CC, but throughout their lives.”