Marta Ciesla Embraces Fun of Relays; Poised to Represent Poland

Photo Courtesy: Brendan Maloney

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When Marta Ciesla and the USC Trojans are behind the blocks preparing for a relay, they act a little bit differently than other teams.

Most teams are getting psyched up in a serious fashion, all business.

But the Trojans are not all business. They are loose, goofy and completely take the pressure off of themselves. It has led to some incredible relay performances.

“We make it our own behind the blocks. We are kind of goofy behind the blocks,” Ciesla told Swimming World.

“I am definitely goofy way up until the blocks. It is hilarious. People look at us like we are crazy. We have done all the work beforehand, so why not have fun with it? It is super important to me to be loose. We have such a great bond.

“Going up racing, that makes it so much easier. You are going up on the blocks for the team. I have had to teach myself that laser focus. I am kind of all over the place mentally, thinking about lots of things. Training that laser focus is what I have to work on. I still catch myself sometimes. I try to have fun with it, which I think is different about my mentality. That is part of the reason I chose USC because we all have that.”

For Ciesla, a sophomore sprinter, that means she is likely anchoring the relay against the top sprinters in the world, including Olympians and national champions. It was intimidating at first, but one weekend during her freshman season changed all of that.

In back-to-back dual meets with Stanford and Cal last year, Ciesla defeated Olympians Simone Manuel and Abbey Weitzeil in the 50 free.

“The first couple of dual meets were super scary for me because I didn’t know how big of a point-scorer I would be. I just started feeling more important when I was doing the sprints and the relays every event, and be counted on,” Ciesla said.

“Dave (Salo) makes us each be able to tell how important we are to the team. That first Cal-Stanford weekend was super important. I had my whole team behind me when I won both 50s. Those were super cool moments. Everyone gathered around and Dave made a huge deal out of it.”

It was a huge deal, and it shaped Ciesla’s confidence and rise to the nation’s elite. It was something she hoped would happen when she chose USC.

“When I was deciding what school to commit to, I took into account that the Pac-12 was fully loaded with sprinters. Going into that, I was definitely a bit hesitant. But I definitely wanted to take on that challenge,” she said. “I am not going to lie, it has been super taxing to get prepared for those swims against them, but I take every one as a learning step.

“It is still super intimidating knowing who is going to be on the relays going up against me, but my team is the reason we get through it so well. But it has definitely been a process getting comfortable with my position.”

That includes the relays, which will be key whether USC can finish in the top 10 this season. The Trojans could legitimately finish anywhere from fifth to twelvth.

“It is always so tough and exciting. We know we are facing Cal and Stanford at Pac-12s and we try to keep it up. Us getting second in the 400 medley relay was huge. It shows that the relays are coming together. We have more girls and have stronger sprint freestyle relays. We have Louise (Hansson) who can go anything and we had her go the backstroke to give us a mental edge of being ahead. I always know my position is going to be freestyle and is usually the anchor.”

Photo Courtesy: USC Athletics

It took a while to wrap her head around being the go-to anchor.

“Coming in, I didn’t realize I would be on so many relays,” Ciesla said. “My goal is to stay focused the entire meet. That is the difference between finishing 12th or finishing fifth. You have to put your all in that one relay. I feel like we are more of a wild card. But I definitely see us doing big things in the relays. None of us were tapered for Pac-12s. We were sore. When you get us in new suits with a taper, we are going to do something special.”

That special performance at NCAAs could propel Ciesla to the next stage of her career, competing for Poland.

“I just recently converted to swimming for Poland,” she said. “I have a club there and am going to the Polish championships in May. That will place me wherever I am going.”

Ciesla’s parents were born in Poland and were runners. She has a unique opportunity to represent her family and heritage moving forward.

“My parents ran for the same club that I will be swimming for. I have always dreamed of being on a big stage like the Olympics. Hopefully, I can make it there. My whole family lives in Poland,” she said. “I just finalized my dual citizenship. It was even cooler to be able to represent the same club that my parents did. It is so funny how things work out.

“It is carrying on a family tradition, which is so crazy to even say.”

Photo Courtesy: Brendan Maloney

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5 years ago

Yeah