Springfield, Ohio – For the eighth straight year, Wittenberg University’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams joined hundreds of other college, high school and club teams across the country to raise awareness and funds for cancer research as part of the annual Hour of Power Relay. 

Wittenberg participated in the event, which honors those who are fighting or have succumbed to cancer, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, in the HPER Center Natatorium. Organized in 2014 by junior Erin Swardenski (Fremont, Calif./Washington), Wittenberg’s annual Hour of Power event is a continuous hour of sprint relays in which team members swam 50-yard lengths of each different stroke. The team was divided into six lanes of eight to nine team members each, mixing the men’s and women’s teams together and including the members who compete only as divers during meets. 

The national Hour of Power Relay program was started in 2006 at Carleton College after Ted Mullin, a member of the men’s swimming and diving team, died of a rare soft-tissue cancer called sarcoma. The event has grown to include thousands of student-athletes annually, all of whom raise money for the Ted Mullin Fund for Pediatric Sarcoma Research at the University of Chicago. 

The Hour of Power Relay has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the battle against cancer. In addition to raising money and awareness about sarcoma, which disproportionately affects adolescents and young adults, the event aims to promote team spirit. 

Prior to diving into the pool, team members huddled to reflect upon their experience, with several student-athletes and coaches telling about personal connections to cancer. The pre-swim huddle provides an important time for team members to come together and reflect. 

“Not only does it really make you think about the effort that you’re doing for the cause but it also gives you a sense of closeness with the team.” said senior Ed Young (Shaker Heights, Ohio/University School), “There’s no stress, no pressure, it’s all fun. This is my fourth one, and I’m very happy to be a part of it.” 

For more information, visit Carleton’s website at: http://apps.carleton.edu/athletics/varsity_sports/mens_swimming_and_diving/hour_of_power_relay/. To make a contribution to Wittenberg’s Hour of Power fundraiser, contact Head Coach Natalie Koukis at (937) 327-6446 or via e-mail at nkoukis@wittenberg.edu.

Written By: Ryan Maurer & Cameron Mackintosh '15
Video By: Cameron Mackintosh '15