Dec. 7, 2015
By Michele Jaroszewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a successful weekend with competitions at Georgia and Princeton the senior spotlight coverage continues with Katie Rowe, Sierra Scoggin, Tim Maurer, and diver Logan Knauss.
The swimmers looked back at how their time has changed from freshman to seniors, and what it is like to have this year as their final season.
Q: How has your overall experience at Penn State been?
Rowe: "It's been amazing, I don't think that I could've asked for anything better."
Scoggin: "Awesome, it has been so much fun. I was born and raised Penn State. Living this dream of swimming at Penn State was my ultimate goal. Being able to achieve that and just loving every day here, taking it all in while you can."
Maurer: "It's been good, each year has been a lot different than the one before, so it's been a very diverse experience. Each year, we have a different group of guys that bring something special to the table and that's good, [it] changes things up."
Knauss: "It was a big change as far as finding a new group of people. The Penn State team was very welcoming as far as me being a transfer [from Wisconsin] and as a diver. I'm from relatively around here, so I've always sort of been in love with the Penn State atmosphere and culture. It wasn't too hard to adapt."
Q: How do you think you have improved from freshman year to now?
Rowe: "I definitely improved in the water a lot. Coming in, I was kind of in the middle of the pack. I think throughout the years, I nailed a push up in my special events. In general as a person I have grown."
Scoggin: "In every way; physically, mentally, academically, socially. Just all around, because you get to do so many things, you figure out what you like. As far as school goes, you figure out what you're into and what you're not into. In swimming, you really push your boundaries mentally and physically. That helps you translate into the real world and gets you going."
Maurer: "My first year here, I started out pretty out of shape. I've definitely gotten in shape and overall I've gotten a lot stronger in my swims."
Q: Do you have any pre-event rituals? If so, what are they?
Rowe: "Usually I listen to certain playlists. Just kind of relax and have fun with it."
Scoggin: "I love Ciara's "1,2 Step" because my name is Sierra. A couple of my friends have remixes that I really like to listen to. So if I listen to that a couple of times, I'm ready to go."
Maurer: "Not really, I like to stay as relaxed as I can before a race and not psyche myself out."
Knauss: "When I was a little kid I always used to do the exact same thing. A lot of divers do the same routine all the time. A lot of the time it's sitting in the same spot, or either not watching the competition or watching the entire competition. When you're in a competition, there could be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes where you're sitting around, mentally preparing."
Q: Do you have a favorite memory/competition that you will remember and look back at?
Rowe: "I don't think anything is better than Big Tens. As a team, we all have a lot of fun there and we usually race really well. We just enjoy the experience because there is nothing like a conference meet."
Scoggin: "It wasn't my favorite, but it is one I'll never forget. We were down on a training trip my freshman year with all the old coaches. We were doing a spin class [and] it was glow in the dark. It was just this atmosphere in the room that everyone was trying their hardest. You could just tell that everyone was working so hard and everyone can see that final goal of winning Big Tens and getting to that final destination. That's a feeling that everyone felt in the room. Everyone was exhausted after, but we look around the room and knew what we were working for.
"Just [having] that feeling of all having the same goal, doing everything you possibly can and not holding back at all. That was probably one of the coolest things I've ever experienced."
Maurer: "I think the memory that stands out the most was the 2012 [Olympic] trials. That was one of the [most] fun meets I've ever been to. It was just a good experience."
Q: What are your goals post season/graduation?
Rowe: "Immediately after I graduate, I am going to get ready to go to [Olympic] trials. After that, just figure out exactly what I want to do. Probably vet tech, [that is] initially what I wanted to do, so maybe veterinarian school in the future."
Scoggin: "Post-season, trying to make Olympics trials. I'm sure that is everyone's goal, that's why we stay and train in the summer. Post graduation, I'm looking for a job. I'm a risk management major, so trying to get out into the corporate world and experience new things."
Maurer: "I'm looking at trials [in June and July] to be my last meet. I'd liked to end it on a good note there."
Knauss: "When I graduate, my intention is to do one of two things. I'd like to work in government, that's my degree. Hopefully something like that goes through, but I've recently been applying for a lot of jobs within athletics. Considering that a lot of us make athletics our lives, it's only fitting for when you get out that you want to work with athletes. Furthering their experience."
Q: What does it feel like to be a senior and have this be your last season?
Rowe: "It feels weird to finally be the role models and head of the team. It's a lot different and you just feel a lot different. You have more of a presence on the team."
Scoggin: "It's crazy seeing everything transform. Starting out with one group of kids and watching everyone change. Here we are, where we thought we would never be at senior year. Looking back at freshman year, I didn't think all of us were going to make it. It's surreal, but it's definitely happening. It's cool to be in this position.
"You see so many people go through it, and you think 'Oh wow, that's going to be me next year,' and it actually is you. You know you've made it, you've done it."
Maurer: "It's exciting, it's been a long journey. It'll be bittersweet to see it end, but it'll be exciting to see what comes next and what the future holds."
Knauss: "It's scary. Even though it's six months away, every day feels like you're going to be thrown into the real world. Even the college atmosphere and the college athletics [background,] it's difficult to imagine myself rising to the occasion."