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Carlynton grad Nicole Stengel aims for big finish with Westminster swimming

Chuck Curti
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Though she is only a junior at Westminster, this season marks the end of Nicole Stengel’s competitive swimming career. She is enrolled in an “three and three” program in which she will spend three years at Westminster then three at Duquesne as she works toward her degree in physical therapy.

That said, the Carlynton graduate isn’t one to put undue pressure on herself. So with her swimming swan song underway, she is content to let the results take care of themselves.

“Put in as much work as you can and let the cards fall where they may. Whatever happens, happens,” she said. “I don’t stress things too much. You do your best, and it’s your best. You can’t really be too upset about anything that happens after that.”

Stengel will have plenty of accomplishments to cherish once she heads into “retirement.”

She still holds the Carlynton marks for the 50, 200 and 500 freestyle and the 100 butterfly and was part of all three relays that are on top of the record books at her alma mater. With the Titans, she was part of a team that set a school mark in the 200 freestyle relay during her freshman season.

Last season at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships, Stengel earned a medal in all three of her individual events: the 50 and 100 free and 100 fly. The bronze medal in the 100 fly represented her best finish.

“Nicole is so steady every day,” Titans coach Pat Smith said, calling last season a “breakout” for Stengel. “She is consistently a hard worker. If you work hard every day, you will get the results, and I think Nicole embodies that.

“When we stopped worrying about her times (last season), she obliterated her time goals, and I think the team saw her as an example.”

Her early results for 2018-19 have been promising. She helped the 200 medley relay team to a victory against Penn State Behrend and placed second in the 100 butterfly in dual meets against strong teams from Allegheny and Wooster.

In the Titans’ PAC opener Nov. 14 at Washington & Jefferson, she won the 500 free.

At this point in her career, Stengel said, she isn’t expecting to shave big chunks of time off her events. Now, it’s about fine-tuning to improve by tenths and even hundredths of a second.

To that end, she has worked on her underwater tactics, i.e., getting a better push off the wall when she turns.

“Anyone can swim in the middle of the pool,” she said. “Starts and turns are some place you can really get an advantage. I think (turning) was something I wasn’t strong at.”

Whether her work will result in more medals remains to be seen. Asked if she is anticipating another three-medal performance at PACs, Stengel again chose the no-pressure route.

“I don’t know if I would say I have bigger expectations,” she said. “I will put in as much work as I have to and work as hard as I can, and we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.

“I’m not really so much focused on the medal part of it. I just want to be happy with the times I am doing.”

Stengel allowed herself one concrete goal: to set another Westminster relay record. She said she enjoys the relays more than individual events because of the bond she has with her teammates, so she doesn’t mind singling out her desire to achieve that aim.

After spending more than half her life competing in the pool, Stengel admitted it will be hard to walk away. But with her career path chosen, she is looking forward to the next chapter.

“I think this is like my 12th year swimming,” she said. “It’s going to be hard (to quit). But once I go to Duquesne, it will be time to put a little more focus on academics.”

Chuck Curti is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chuck at ccurti@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CCurti_Trib.