Holm Dahl talented team player

RACHELLE LACROIX / photo editor Senior Jessica Holm Dahl looks to go out with a bang in '02.

It's always the quiet ones, isn't it? Women's swimming coach Nancy Bercaw described senior swimmer Jessica Holm Dahl as possessing "a quiet strength that deserves recognition because it could go easily unnoticed."

Holm Dahl, a senior swimmer from Stolkholm, Sweden is built like a true swimmer — tall, thin and broad shoulders — but you'd never know it from talking to her on the phone. Her soft spoken voice is just loud enough to hear her, but just soft enough that you have to listen with special attention.

While she is a strong individual competitor, she prefers to simply be a memeber of the team. In fact, the team aspect is what she likes best about swimming at JMU compared to in Sweden. "Swimming in Sweden is more individual," Holm Dahl said. "Here it's so much about the team and the team winning and the team effort."

Holm Dahl's best times of 1:05:90 in the 100-yard breaststroke and 2:21:20 in the 200-yard breaststroke definitely are worthy accomplishments. However, she recalls her favorite moment as being a meet when the whole team did well, against East Carolina University during her sophomore year ('00).

"The year before [ECU] had beaten us and won the conference title," Holm Dahl said. "The second we stepped in there we were so confident. We were so aggressive and we just went for it. It was like the roof almost lifted."

Teammates look to Holm Dahl — or 'Sweden' as her teammates appropriately have nicknamed her — for her strength and dedication. "Every practice she works hard which makes other people want to work just as hard," senior teammate and roommate Marie Hansbrough said.

Despite her quiet appearance, Holm Dahl is definitely a physical force to be reckoned with. "Her biggest strength is, in fact, her strength," Bercaw said. "She's incredibly tough and aggressive in the pool and the weight room despite her calm demeanor."

Holm Dahl said she depends on her strength and endurance to help her win her races. "The last part of the 100, that's where I put in my attack," Holm Dahl said of the 200 breaststroke. "I definitely have a long stroke suitable for the 200 breaststroke."

Holm Dahl said she is anticipating her fourth and final year on the team. "I want to go out with a bang," Holm Dahl said. "This year, I'm trying to go on a positive spiral up instead of down and just look at everything in a positive way.

"I want to be aggressive and go out there and just feel like I've done everything I possibly can after I've swam."

A soft-spoken powerhouse, Holm Dahl has every intention of making her last year on the team her best.