URBANA — Uni's girls swim team has always kept interesting and fun traditions, with an all-around main goal of having a memorable personal experience. Last year the team swam as the Fighting Fish, but this year they're repping a new mascot, the Killer Whale.

Last season presented quite a big obstacle for the team: a decent place to practice. IMPE, home of the Illini women's swim team, was undergoing renovation work, causing the U of I swimmers to move into Uni's practice facility, Freer Hall.

Without a permanent place to practice, the girls had to move around and find transportation. They practiced at three different locations, usually at odd hours.

This year the team can really focus on what its goal has always been: helping each member achieve personal goals and improve throughout the season. Head coach Howie Schein has a wonderfully different perspective on the competitive style his team swims toward.

"Each team member can define her own personal goals, and the team's goals are, traditionally, to support each other's strivings to meet personal goals," he explains.

Sometimes, winning isn't everything. The girls focus on breaking their own records. Since Uni's size doesn't provide a lot of swimmers, and because the team doesn't focus on diving, it's difficult to rack up points at meets to place. So instead, the girls use their meets for extra practice.

"Many schools don't pay much attention to won/loss records," says Schein. "The meets that 'count' are the last three: Normal U-High Invitational, sectionals, and state."

Stepping up as team captains are seniors Lor Sligar, Deborah Ladd, and Natsuki Nakamura. Also returning to swim are juniors Erika Belmont and Sian Best, last year's MVP. Both had some great performances last season.

Fans are not only expecting an excellent season from these veterans, but Uni's rising-star newcomers include nationally ranked junior Lisa Boyce and freshman Milee Nelson, who transferred from Countryside this year.

"All of our new swimmers are so fast ... this season is going to be awesome," says Sligar.

Boyce decided to leave the Champaign County Aquachiefs (now called the Heat), a team she had been swimming for since age 6, to join Uni's team.

"A lot of my friends had been telling me about what a great experience high school swimming was," says Boyce. "The Uni girls told me about how close the team was and how much fun they had during the season, and my friends from out of town said that I should definitely do high school swimming this year."

The Illineks are lucky to have Boyce this season, who achieved several personal bests at the YMCA National Short Course Swimming and Diving Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last April.

These girls are reaching new heights, and hope to keep the traditions that make this team Uni's most unique. Their first meet will take place Saturday against traditional season-opening opponent Stanford Olympia. Uni won last season's meet 131-24.

Quite a few of the team's contests are in Champaign-Urbana, including several at Freer, so check out the team schedule and come support Uni swimmers.