No team? No problem
During the long trip to Bucknell University last March, Moniteau's Baily Trettel thought about the upcoming PIAA Class 2A Swimming Championships.
She was ready.
She had prepared for two weeks. Tapered. Got herself mentally and physically ready for the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly.
She was bent on having the best performances of her career.
Trettel arrived at 10:30 a.m. March 12 and checked in.
At 11 a.m., she was told to go home.
The PIAA 2A Swimming Championships were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and later canceled.
Trettel was shattered.
“I was heartbroken when that happened,” said Trettel, now a senior at Moniteau. “I put all my eggs in the state basket. I never tapered for any other meet. That was going to be the meet where I set my best times and the meet that I was going to be recruited from. When it got canceled, I was really upset because I was worried I wasn't going to get recruited to the schools I wanted to go.
“It was just scary,” she added. “I didn't know what was going to happen.”
It's never been easy for Trettel, who has had to take a different journey through her high school swimming career.
Moniteau doesn't have a swim team so Trettel swims independently, practicing at Deer Lakes and competing with whatever team will take her for a particular meet.
It's made her mentally tough — something she found she needed after the state meet was canceled.
Her fears, though, vanished when schools still recruited her.
One stood out in particular: Division I St. Francis University.
“Once I visited St. Francis, I had the feeling I wanted to go there,” Trettel said. “After that, I kind of put those other schools on hold.”
Trettel committed in September and signed her national letter of intent last week.“It's exactly the school that I wanted,” Trettel said. “Everything happens for a reason.”With her college decision behind her and signed, sealed and delivered, Trettel is now focused on trying to end her high school career on a high note.She hopes there will be a season in 2020-21.“I'm just hoping for the best,” Trettel said.Her situation as an independent swimmer may complicate things.The PIAA has recommended meets be held virtually, with teams swimming in their home pools and then comparing results with their opponents.For Trettel, who doesn't have a team or a home pool, that puts her in uncharted waters.“I'm not sure how it's going to work yet,” Trettel said. “I know a lot of coaches from local teams, so I'm hoping they will let me go to some of their meets. I'm just hoping there is a season.”Trettel, who won District 9 titles in the 100 back and 100 fly last season, doesn't want her last high school experience to be riding home in tears after a canceled meet.“I want to end my career going to states, doing well and getting a medal,” Trettel said. “That's my main goal for the season.“I want to show people that just because I don't have a team, I'm not any less or different.”
