Nov. 1, 2007

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Welcome to "Q&A With The Captains," a continuing weekly segment that features a question-and-answer style interview with one of Mizzou women's swimming and diving's team captains. The 2007-08 captains are junior Lori Halvorson and seniors Arica Jacinto and Sarah Menefee. This week we sit down with senior co-captain Sarah Menefee.

What do you feel your role is as captain this year?

I feel as a senior I've gained some important experiences here at Mizzou. I think my main role is to be there for everyone, especially the underclassmen who have not gone to the intense dual meets and have not had these same experiences. I just try to be there for the girls if they get nervous or when they're really excited. I've had all those experiences so I can listen to them and be there for them in whatever they might need, whether it is in school, swimming or in their personal lives.

Can you talk about a time when you have put this role into action?

There have been times when I have had teammates who have had a bad race and were devastated afterwards. I took it upon myself during these times to go over and talk to them and get them excited about the next race. Sometimes it's hard to get the motivation to get up and swim after your first race didn't go as planned.

Why do you looking to accomplish during your senior season?

I want to do my best for myself, but more importantly I want to go out knowing I did everything I could to help the team move forward; that no matter what I was able to motivate the team to compete at a high level.

How did it feel to receive a national top-20 ranking last week?

It was great. It was amazing. It's something we've been talking about. After last season we started going for it again right away. We did a lot of team building this fall, too. I think this played a big role in leading our team to a top-20 ranking. If I had to pinpoint one thing I would say our team building is what really helped the team become so much more together by September, more so than any other year that I've been here.

How does this ranking play into the mentality of the team moving ahead?

The whole team is excited. It brings a level of intensity to the team. A lot of us are looking at the top-10 and top-15 teams to see if we can break into a top tier that we've never been in before. The ranking really adds a little bit of extra motivation for us, especially when we face teams that are looking to beat us so they can get ranked themselves. Overall, it adds extra intensity to practices and to the meets.

What were your thoughts heading into this past week's meet with Kansas?

They are our biggest rival. We felt it was our job as captains to make sure the underclassmen knew how big this rivalry really is and the history of the series. Going into this meet in particular, I remembered the team's trip to Lawrence my sophomore year. That meet turned out the opposite of w;hat we were going for. This was the biggest motivation for me. Going into Lawrence mentally tough was key. We knew we needed to get the touches and give our all throughout the entire meet. Two years ago we were just overconfident. This time we were able to go in confident, but also be cautious.

How did it feel to beat the Jayhawks in Lawrence for just the second time ever? I feel the seniors are trying to make it an expectation to beat Kansas rather than the team having the mindset "maybe we'll beat them." Beating them for only the second time ever in Lawrence shows that this team is as tough as ever and we are building on that for away meets to come.

What are your thoughts heading into this weekend's Mizzou Dual Challenge?

We're going be racing for a few days. We'll need to bring the same intensity that we had during the Indiana, A&M and Kansas meets into this weekend. I feel like we are always at an advantage though because we are a combined program. I think that as long as the men and women can get behind each other we'll both have a successful weekend.

What do you do differently to prepare for five meets in a matter of three days?

We're training just as hard as ever. As the season continues to progress, we're getting more in shape and focusing more on the little things that can make a difference during meets. We're just trying to train hard and keep moving ourselves forward.

If you had to describe the Mizzou Dual Challenge in one word what would it be?

That's a tough one. You caught me. It's hard to think of one word, but I guess I would have to say "competition." There is a lot of racing going on this weekend and everyone coming is strong competitor.

What's your prediction for the Mizzou-Colorado football game on Saturday?

The football team is making a great run right now and I think our offense will lead us to victory. I'm not sure about an exact score, but I think we'll win out there. I'm really proud of our football team this year. It's been a lot of fun watching the team climb the rankings, especially because I'm a senior and I haven't really seen that before with the team.