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Winter sports are starting to kick off, as some Comet teams have already begun practicing and competing. This year the wrestling team is coached by head coach Brandon Brissette and assistant coach Jeff Therrian, they have a full roster of 46 men on the team.
“We have grown close with one another and lived up to our team motto which is ‘suffer to be beautiful.’ We have put in the work and are eager to see the results,” junior Austin Kelley said. “We have a big team tournament in Olivet on Nov. 21 and are looking forward to representing Olivet College to the best of our abilities.”
The men’s basketball team began its season on Nov. 7 with a varsity roster full of 17 players. They travel over the weekend to take on Trinity International and Trinity Christian.
“I am very excited about this year’s team. I think the new editions go well with the returning players, and we finally have enough to make some noise in the conference,” assistant men’s basketball coach Brent Cork said. “We’re in a good position to compete this year and I’m excited for the year to begin.”
Women’s basketball also is underway competing with a 15-player varsity roster against sizeable teams. They have a full schedule this year and begin conference-play on Nov. 30 versus Saint Mary’s.
“We are working hard in practice everyday to be better than we were the day before,” junior Leighann Thilo said. “I am confident that our season will reflect all the hard work we put in. [We’re] hoping to build off the success of past seasons to obtain the ultimate goal...”
The men’s volleyball team has officially transitioned from a club sport into a competitive team. They start competing on Jan. 23 at Wittenberg with 19 players on their roster.
“It is cool to be a part of Olivet sports officially, and I’m excited for it to be real games and competition,” sophomore Rhett Pringle said. “Our team will be competitive; we’ve scrimmaged a few teams already and one was Western Michigan’s A-team. We have a solid group of guys and we’re all looking forward to playing and representing Olivet College Athletics.”
The men’s and women’s swimming and dive teams have also began their season. They have a total of 15 people on their varsity roster. The team will be hosting a meet against Kalamazoo on Jan. 8.
“With the combination of (coach)Shea, and our new strength and conditioning coach, our swimmers are going to make big improvements both individually and as a unit,” senior captain Megan Dossey said. “I’m excited to see where this season takes us.”