Men’s And Women’s Swimming Participate In “Hour of Power” Relay

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men’s and women’s swim teams participated in the fourth-annual “Hour of Power” Relay for cancer research sponsored by Carleton College. The event took place on Tuesday, Dec. 8 from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. at Partyka Natatorium.

The “Hour of Power” relay was established in honor of Carleton College swimmer Ted Mullin who died in the fall of 2006 from sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer.

"Everyone did a great job," head coach Bill Tyler said. "The team did a great job of mixing up the strokes and switching up the lanes."

The event is conducted by all NCAA Division III men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs simultaneously throughout the nation. Funds raised through this event support research at the University of Chicago into the causes and treatments of sarcoma in young people.

"I thought we had a good-sized crowd considering what it was," Coach Tyler added. "It's not a meet or anything like that. One of our faculty members was actually treated for cancer at the University of Chicago, and it was great to see everyone stand up and clap when Mike (Desmond - who is also battling cancer) finished it up so this kind of event really hits home with a lot of people."

The event was first held on Nov. 7, 2006 and expanded from 15 participating teams in its first year, to 104 teams in 2008 with nearly 6,000 students. Over the past three years, participants have raised more than $110,000 for the Ted Mullin Fund for Sarcoma Research at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital.