NIU’s men’s swimming team kept itself busy over break by participating in a swim meet that took place in very natural conditions.

Fighting conditions only a surfer could love, NIU edged the Swedish National Team in the relay title of the Atlantic Ocean Mile on December 27. NIU defeated the Swedes by just over a minute.

“We did great in the ocean-mile competition, and I think that says a lot for our guys because it’s not like a regular meet,” NIU head coach Dave Clark said.

The ocean mile consists of swimming 60 feet to a buoy. Once the buoy is reached, a swimmer must swim parallel to the shore to another buoy before returning to the beach.

“At a pool, you know generally what to expect, but in the ocean the temperature will vary,” Clark said. “In this case, there were six-foot waves which means they swam a lot more than a mile. Essentially, you have to keep swimming outward because the whole time the waves are bringing you back to the beach.”

The Huskies did spend some of their time swimming under usual conditions. In the Ed Kennedy Memorial Classic, NIU finished second in the final team standings, behind 7th-ranked Iowa.