How They Train: Julia Stevens
It’s been nearly a year since Dan Mascolo has coached Julia Stevens. He is now the head coach of YMCA Spartaquatics in Spartanburg, S.C.—some 800 miles away from where he was associate head coach for the Cheshire YMCA/Sea Dog Swim Club in Connecticut as well as the girls’ head coach at Cheshire High School from 2012-18.
But Mascolo recalls with remarkable clarity Stevens’ emergence as an accomplished swimmer. In early April at the 2019 YMCA National Championships in Greensboro, N.C., he had several reminders of the talent she has become.
At that meet, Stevens swam on five Cheshire Y relays and finished in the top 24 of her four individual events, including an 11th-place showing in the 200 yard butterfly (2:02.55).
This past November, Stevens continued to pad her aquatic resumé by placing first in four events at the Connecticut Class-L high school state meet.
Notes Mascolo, “I had the pleasure of being Julia’s primary coach from ages 9 through 12, and then I worked with her again on the Cheshire High School team, where she was a multi-time state champion.
“For all of her individual accomplishments, Julia’s ability as a relay swimmer shines above the rest. I can think of numerous occasions where she would split times two to three seconds faster than her lifetime best on championship relays—and she still does that to this day,” says Mascolo.
Julia Stevens’ Progression of Time Chart
To read more about Julia Stevens and how she trains with the Spartaquatics,
check out the May 2019 issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!
[PHOTO CREDIT: PETER H. BICK]
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FEATURES
016 NO LEDECKY…NO MANUEL… NO PROBLEM
by Dan D’Addona, David Rieder and Andy Ross
Relying on a younger team—with 10 underclass-men—Stanford still won its third straight women’s NCAA Division I swimming and diving team title. It’s just that this year’s margin of victory was much closer than the previous two.
WOMEN’S NCAA DIVISION I MINI-FEATURES:
018 BROOKE FORDE: MAKING THE EXTRA EFFORT
019 BEATA NELSON: UN-BEATA-BLE NELSON
021 ABBEY WEITZEIL/CAL BEARS: THE OTHER CHAMPIONS
022 LILLY KING: LILLY’S LEGACY
024 WOMEN’S NCAA DIVISION I PHOTO GALLERY
photos by Peter H. Bick
026 THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
by Dan D’Addona and David Rieder
The depth of Cal’s Golden Bears was on full display at this year’s men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in Austin, proving they were the best team in the nation.
MEN’S NCAA DIVISION I MINI-FEATURES:
028 DANIEL CARR: SECOND CHANCE PAYS OFF
029 SILVER LININGS FOR SECOND-PLACE TEXAS
031 DEAN FARRIS: DEAN OF THE POOL
032 MEN’S NCAA DIVISION I PHOTO GALLERY
photos by Peter H. Bick
034 STILL NO. 1
by Andy Ross, Cathleen Pruden, Olivia Wile and Grace Nordquist
All of the schools that won college national championships last year for NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and NJCAA repeated as champions in 2019. Their winning streaks range from two to 45!
038 ’59 MICHIGAN TEAM STILL “THE GREATEST OF ’EM ALL”
by Bruce Wigo
For overall strength as well as balance in all the strokes, distances and diving, no team in history has ever dominated the men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships like the 1959 University of Michigan Wolverines.
COACHING
010 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: FRANK KEEFE
by Michael J. Stott
014 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: CONDITIONING TO OPTIMIZE TECHNIQUE (Part 2)
by Rod Havriluk
As explained in Part 1, there are three types of sets that are critical to emphasizing technique: skill sets, transition sets and test sets. Part 2 presents strategies to integrate these three sets into a conditioning program.
041 SPECIAL SETS: TRAINING FOR THE 200 FLY
by Michael J. Stott
Coach Sean Farrell’s recent success with distance flyers at the Cheshire YMCA/Sea Dog Swim Club in Connecticut results from having good athletes, a defined sense of how to train them and a philosophy focused on training the whole athlete.
043 Q&A WITH COACH DAN MASCOLO
by Michael J. Stott
044 HOW THEY TRAIN JULIA STEVENS
by Michael J. Stott
JUNIOR SWIMMER
046 UP & COMERS: MORGAN RAZEWSKI
by Taylor Brien
COLUMNS
008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT
009 BEYOND THE YARDS
013 OFFICIAL WORD
040 DID YOU KNOW? ISHOF’S FIRST HONOREES: A “SPORTS SPECTACULAR”
047 GUTTER TALK
048 PARTING SHOT