Alumni (old)
Aquatic Alumni Show Their Support for the New Pool
As preparations for the new pool are underway, Loyola’s aquatic alumni have gathered on several occasions to demonstrate their support, raise funds and share fond memories.
On Saturday, April 21, members of Loyola’s inaugural girls’ swim team met with current Rambler swimmers at Loyola. Past and present swimmers had the chance to trade stories about what has changed and share laughs about what traditions have endured.
A week later, the final girls’ and boys’ water polo games provided yet another opportunity for alumni to gather. On Thursday, April 26, the girls defeated Whitney Young 11–3, and on Monday, April 20, the boys took a 13–8 victory over Lockport. There was a tremendous turnout with approximately twenty alumni cheering on Ramblers at the game.
Alumnus Paul Hulseman ’78, who was on the swim team as a senior in the fall of 1977, was one of the alumni present for the final game in the O’Shaughnessy Pool. “It’s an exciting time for Loyola’s aquatics program,” he says. “I hope to see multiple state caliber swimming and water polo teams in the future as a result of this commitment LA is making to the future.”
“It was touching to see so many come out to soak it all in one last time,” says Boys’ Water Polo Head Coach Daniel Hengelmann '97. As someone who has dedicated seventeen years to Loyola’s swim program, both as an athlete and as a coach, Hengelmann notes that saying goodbye to the old pool is bittersweet. “But the thought of what's coming is so exciting. Many more memories will be created in our new space,” he says.
Nicole Pinelli ’08 first swam in Loyola’s pool in 2005 and is now assistant coach of the Girls’ Water Polo Team. For Pinelli, the pool has provided a lifetime of memories and relationships that have helped shape who she is. “It is such a rewarding experience to be able to give back to the Loyola community as an alumna and a coach,” she says. “What has struck me the most about the news of our new pool is the excitement around it! Every parent and alum that I have spoken to about it is thrilled and has been eager to be a part of the process in some way.”
The first phase of Loyola’s multiphase Campus Master Plan will begin in earnest later this month. From May 2018 until August 2019, construction will be underway on a new aquatic center with an eight-lane, IHSA-approved competition-size pool and a light-filled, enclosed piazza between the new aquatic center and the West Gym that will serve as a hub where Ramblers can study, socialize and collaborate. For more information, please visit https://www.goramblers.org/page/second-century-campaign.
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