HOW THEY TRAIN MAGGIE PURCELL

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

www.NZcordz.com

[PHOTO BY KEITH LUCAS, SIDELINE MEDIA ]

PROGRESSION OF TIMES

SCY 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 100 Free — 52.21 52.88 50.36*

200 Free — 1:56.05 1:52.13 1:49.03*

200 Breast — 2:18.15 2:16.29 2:12.84

400 IM 4:34.52 4:39.36 — 4:17.09 * Season incomplete

Maggie Purcell, a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, landed on the University of Richmond campus in the fall of 2018 as collegeswimming.com’s 11th-ranked swimmer in the state of New York.

“Maggie has talent and growing confidence,” says University of Richmond coach Matt Barany of his junior swimmer. “She has four very efficient strokes and amazing strength. One day, she actually pulled a power rack into the pool. Her initial race strategy her freshman year was to crush the water with her strength. As a sophomore, we tried to distract her from this strategy. We encouraged her to make the front half of her races more ‘artistic’ by being efficient and effortless. This strategy offered her confidence and reserves for the second half of her races,” he says.

“Having four talented strokes, I favor her IMs, but she’d probably identify herself as a breaststroker. The 200 breast can be formulaic with stroke counts and cadence—this has helped her swim her way into the race. Her short course walls are very good. She has taken it upon herself to improve this on her own accord. At practice, she’d gladly go underwater and race our dolphin kickers.”

All of that was on display at the February 2020 Atlantic 10 Conference Championships. She won the 200 breast (2:12.84) and placed second in the 400 IM (4:17.09) and fifth in the 200 IM (2:00.42) while contributing legs on four topthree relay finishes.

At the end of the truncated 2019-20 season, she occupied four spots on the Spiders best times list: 100 breast (6th/1:03.15), 200 breast (2nd/2:12.84), 200 IM (4th/2:00.42) and 400 IM (4th/4:17.09).

“Maggie is also one of our all-time best flutter kickers,” says Barany. “We do a lot of kicking, especially in the first six to eight weeks of the season. She sets the tone, and she brings others with her. She can hold 1:15-1:16 range for 16 x 100s @ 1:45. Once we see this level of kicking, we transition over to more stroke-specific kicking.

“Some would call her stubborn, but I think she’s straightup bold. As we tried to develop her weakest stroke, we’d train her backstroke with Hannah Gouger (1:53.5 200 back), and Maggie would do everything she could to hang with her. Maggie doesn’t know her limit. She can drop 4:35s for 8 x 400 back @ 5:30. That’s pretty good.

“Another thing: Maggie is eternally grateful. After every practice, she looks me in the eye and says, ‘Thank you.’ It doesn’t matter how many practices a coach attends, these are the two most gratifying words. She’s one of a kind, and Richmond is lucky to have her,” says Barany.

SAMPLE SET 400 IM Prep (January 2021)

6x: • 2 x 50 dive fly @ :30 rest after each 50 fly (Rounds 1-2: in

Sox untimed; Round 3: 26.8 + 27.0; Round 4: 26.6 + 27.0;

Round 5: 26.9 + 27.2; Round 6: 26.8 + 27.0)

• 400 back (Rounds 1-2: 4:35, 4:38); 2 x 200 back @ :15 rest after each 200 (Round 3: 2:14 + 2:15; Round 4: 2:16 + 2:16); 4 x 100 back @ :10 rest after each 100 (Round 5: 1:06, 1:07, 1:07, 1:07; Round 6: 1:05, 1:07, 1:08, 1:08)

“There would be a lot of conversation prior to this set. The first two rounds of fly would include drag sox with a huge emphasis on using the hips for locomotion. Once the sox are off, we’d encourage Maggie to execute her kick/stroke count while swimming fly for distance. This gives us a chance to measure her velocity. She can cruise these in high 26 with little effort—we’d let her loose on backstroke. No limits on back. “Over the years at Richmond, I’ve coached quality IMers— Jessica Witt, (2x All-American, 400 IM), Lauren Beaudreau (NCAA 200 IM and 400 IM), Mali Kobelja (2012 Olympic Trials 200 IM). I learned a lot from them, and one of our tenets is to merge the four strokes at season’s end when athletes are highly coordinated and execution is seamless. We don’t do a lot of IM sets inclusive of the four strokes.” 

Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach whose Collegiate School (Richmond, Va.) teams won nine state high school championships. A member of that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, he is also a recipient of NISCA’s Outstanding Service Award.

>> (From left) Matt Barany coached Hannah Gouger from 2016-20. She won the 100 and 200 back at the Atlantic-10 Conference Championships all four years and was one of only 30 nominees for the 2019 NCAA’s Women of the Year honor. “We were lucky to have her, and I was lucky to coach her,” says Barany. “The clear highlight was qualifying for NCAAs as a junior.” (Go to the following link to read a letter from Hannah about how she overcame adversity and was able to find success at UR: https://spark.adobe.com/page/pEdAZbpqd8u91/)

>> MAGGIE PURCELL

SW: Any athlete resistance to those changes?

MB: Our modifications are intended to align their routines with their circadian rhythm. The swimmers understand the benefits. Of course, some are slow adapters.

SW: Now in COVID times, how has the use of recent communication technology affected how you train and interact with your athletes?

MB: During the summer months, we were trying to use the phone more than ever. We wanted to connect with our current roster beyond a text or a Zoom. On the recruiting front, we received favorable feedback on a series of biweekly webinars for recruits. We were just trying to spread the word about the University of Richmond, which was selected last August as the nation’s most beautiful campus.

SW: How did the October virtual meet with Northeastern go?

MB: It was fun! We need to work out the operational kinks to provide a smoother experience next time.

SW: What’s an in-season in-water and dryland schedule look like for the Spiders? MB:

Monday and Friday

6-7 a.m. Strength 7-8 a.m. Water 3-5 p.m. Water

Tuesday

6-7 a.m. Land

7-8 a.m. Water 1:30-3:30 or 3:30-5:30 p.m. Water

Wednesday

6-7 a.m. Strength 7-8 a.m. Water

Thursday

1:30-3:30 or 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Land and Water

Saturday

6-10 a.m. Land, Meeting, Water SW: You serve on the CSCAA executive board as treasurer and your women are a CSCAA scholar team (3.66 team GPA). What’s the value to you and Richmond for that CSCAA affiliation?

MB: The CSCAA is doing honorable work and a great job advocating for college swimming and diving programs facing threats. They are also hosting NCAA events. We have especially enjoyed the Open Water and the NIC Championships.

Our Fall 2020 GPA is the highest it’s ever been at Richmond. I’m thankful our women remained healthy and focused on academics during this stressful time. I’m so proud of them.

SW: What was the inspiration for the team’s 2020 virtual graduation with Maya DiRadoAndrews, and what was the general response?

MB: When COVID initially hit, we threw out everything “normal.” The season was cut short, recruits were prohibited, and students were banned from campus. It was just a strange time. We just went after wild ideas. The virtual graduation was a huge hit. We were honored to have Maya, and she was the absolute perfect addition to the event in which the university president, chaplain and alumni also took part. It was awesome.

SW: Your advice to coaches is to “stay relevant.” How do you suggest they do that?

MB: Cross-pollinate. Get involved on campus, take classes, serve on committees, etc. There is so much we can learn from other industries and other sports, too.

SW: What is the importance of alumni support, especially in a donating capacity, in this time of Olympic sport reduction at the college level?

MB: It’s a must. It’s growing more and more important in this environment. We had a very successful Give Day in April 2020. It felt good to bring alumni together for a twoday competition. Staying connected is vital, especially in this economic climate. 

Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach whose Collegiate School (Richmond, Va.) teams won nine state high school championships. A member of that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, he is also a recipient of NISCA’s Outstanding Service Award.

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO READ MORE TRAINING IDEAS FROM COACH MATT BARANY. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT

UP & COMERS

AGE GROUP SWIMMER OF THE MONTH

BY SHOSHANNA RUTEMILLER

Liam Custer

Liam Custer, 16, of the Sarasota YMCA Sharks smashed the national age group record in the 1650 yard freestyle by nearly eight seconds last December at the Florida Virtual Championships. His 14:37.86 places him as the youngest swimmer to break 14:40 in the event. The high school junior’s time would also rank third among NCAA Division I athletes this season.

In November, Custer, swimming for Riverview High School (Sarasota, Fla.), took Florida 4A high school state titles in the 500 yard freestyle (4:21.41) and 200 IM (1:47.41). Later that month at the U.S. Open Championships, he qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 800 (8:06.69) and 1500 (15:35.69) meter freestyles. He shattered his personal best times by more than six seconds in the 800 and by nearly 30 seconds in the mile.

Outside of the pool, Custer carries an unweighted 4.0 GPA, and has maintained straight-A’s in every class since the first grade. Even though he currently resides in Florida, he was born in New England and has been an avid Tom Brady fan from a young age. He even has a poster hanging in his room of Brady when he was with the New England Patriots!

> LIAM CUSTER (RIGHT) WITH COACH BRENT ARCKEY

SPONSORED BY

WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU DO IN SWIMMING?

What I do best is that I give it 110% every time I get behind the blocks, and I hate to lose. I give it my all during every race, and I can maintain my effort for as long as I want, which helps me in my distance events.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST WORKOUTS/SETS YOU’VE DONE?

I would say the toughest set I have ever done, by far, was 20 x 400s “FRIM” (100s of free, back, breast, free) on 5:20, long course meters. At the time, my 400 IM was about a 4:55, so I had to hold close to my best time for all 20. It’s the only time I have ever cried during swim practice!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT SWIMMING?

My favorite thing about swimming is that you can compete for yourself by trying to place and lower your time...but you can also compete for your team by scoring points. It’s definitely a fun dynamic because you can contribute to your team and race for your teammates, but you can also get the satisfaction of setting a personal best time.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR?

I am looking forward to finalizing my college decision and committing—can’t wait!

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN SWIMMING...AND WHY?

While I don’t have a specific role model swimmer, I definitely look up to all of my current and past coaches who have helped me succeed in the sport—best coaches I could ever ask for!

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES?

My favorite hobbies are watching the Patriots every Sunday during football season... and hanging out with my friends.