By Athletic Communications Intern Derek Blalock

Success and family. 
 

Two pillars that could be considered part of the backbone of Oakland swimming and diving thanks to the culture diligently shaped, crafted and constantly refined throughout the past 40 years by Head Coach Pete Hovland.
 

Bethany Abramczyk is one of six women Golden Grizzlies set to graduate this spring, and she might fit those two pillars to a T.
 

"(I remember) being in awe of Oakland and wanting to come here so bad," Abramczyk said. "Just having forty unanimous friends all at the same time in the same area, always willing to hang out...it's forever friends."
 

Abramczyk, a two-time All-State honoree in high school, is now a four-time Horizon League Championship member after the Golden Grizzlies took home their league title for the 25th consecutive season.
 

However, being a member of Oakland swimming and diving wasn't always clear cut. Though she had been swimming her entire life, it wasn't until a coach at Oakland and asked her, "Have you ever thought of swimming in college?"
 

No. She hadn't.
 

"I think that at the time I probably didn't think I could do something this big," Abramczyk said. "It was the first college I really heard about. I definitely just remember the team atmosphere of Oakland."
 

Oakland Swimming and Diving is an Abramczyk family affair as well. Bethany's parents come to every single meet, and also hosts spaghetti dinners for the entire men's and women's teams.
 

"I can only think of one meet in my entire four years they missed and that was because they were out of town," Abramczyk said. "My mom makes cookies for every meet, and they love having people over."
 

Having that type of involvement from swimmers' families only helps the program bond and mold together even well after graduation, which is very important to the culture that Hovland has tried to create over the past five decades.
 

"(Bethany is) just a wonderful young lady, and comes from an outstanding family that's very, very involved in our program," Hovland said. "She has a great outlook on life and very positive. 
 

"From my perspective, this is my whole life. My wife and I weren't able to have kids, so it's like these are my kids, this is my family. I stay very close to the kids after they graduate, and actually, grow even closer."
 

After graduation, Abramczyk expects to pursue a career in occupational therapy as she loves helping people and has had a passion for helping individuals with special needs. The opportunity to be able to make them laugh and feel better about themselves are important reasons for Abramczyk.
 

But as her time at Oakland is quickly winding down, she will miss several specifics about Oakland. For one, the coaches who have become parenting figures. 
 

"They discipline you, but at the same time they love you to death," Abramczyk said. "You wouldn't want anyone else in that position."
 

But the toughest goodbye might be to teammate Hannah Burgess, Abramczyk's best friend, and roommate since they stepped onto campus four years ago. 
 

"We just clicked right away because we were living together (and) swimming together,"
 

Burgess, a native of Oakland, Ontario, said. "(Bethany and Oakland) is a support system you won't be able to find if you weren't a swimmer."
 

When you have a support system and athletes like Abramczyk that emphasize family, it's clear why the program has enjoyed unprecedented success over the last three decades.