NORMAL, Ill. -- As the Illinois State swimming and diving team approached Hancock Stadium, freshmen Molly Allison, Julia Bartula and Martyna Dobek knew exactly what they were about to face: a long, steep climb up the stadium stairs.
By the time they reached the top, the workout had taken its toll. Their legs were exhausted, their bodies were aching and mentally, they were questioning why they had been put through the climb.
"I never thought I'd run up a single set of stairs in my entire life," Bartula said. "The first time we did it, I was rethinking my entire life."
They even turned to first-year head coach Ryan Evans for an explanation.
"I asked Coach Ryan, 'Why are we doing this?'" Dobek recalled. "He explained that when we're up on the blocks at our final meet, we'll be able to say, 'I've done things so much harder than this.' That's when I realized I could really trust that my coach knows what he's doing."
Evans wanted the freshmen to understand that the difficult moments in training would prepare them for the pressure of competition. When they reached their biggest meets, they could draw confidence from knowing they had already pushed through challenges that tested them physically and mentally.
The next week, the group returned to the stadium for another round. The stairs hadn't changed, but the experience did. This time, the climb felt a little easier.
"You grow to appreciate it," Bartula said of the tough training. "It's something new that you've never done before. It's benefiting you physically, but it's also benefiting you mentally. You're getting stronger and building grit."
Although their collegiate careers are just getting started, Allison, Bartula and Dobek share a history that dates back years before they became teammates at Illinois State.
All three grew up competing in Illinois, spending years navigating a swimming community known for its depth of talent and competitive high school and club programs. With Illinois featuring a single-class state championship, swimmers from across the state compete at the same IHSA State Finals, creating opportunities for the three to cross paths throughout their high school careers.
Dobek attended St. Charles North High School, Bartula swam at Rosary High School and Allison competed for the DeKalb-Sycamore co-op. While they represented different high school programs, their connections extended beyond the state meet.
Allison and Dobek previously swam together on the St. Charles club team, while Dobek later joined Academy Bullets, where she became teammates with Bartula. Although Allison and Bartula never shared a high school or club team, they knew of one another through the state's swimming community.
"I feel like Illinois has a very high intensity and level of swimming," Allison said. "It's very competitive. There are a lot of good and fast swimmers. Everyone kind of knows everyone, and if anything happens in Illinois swimming, everyone finds out. It's a really close community."Â
For Evans, Illinois' swimming tradition was something he recognized long before taking over the Redbird program. While swimming collegiately in Iowa, he became familiar with the state's reputation through teammates who competed in Illinois before seeing its talent firsthand while working in club and college coaching.
Now, Evans hopes to keep that talent in-state, making Illinois a priority in his recruiting efforts and giving the state's top swimmers an opportunity to continue their careers at Illinois State.
That effort started with Allison, Bartula and Dobek. All three had committed to Illinois State under previous head coach Riley Hilbrandt, meaning Evans had to somewhat re-recruit the incoming freshmen and convince them to buy into his vision for the program when he was hired last spring.
"I was stressed at first because I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm going there in six months. Am I going to have a coach? Who is it going to be? Is it going to be good?'" Allison recalled. "I was really stressed. But then I was just like, I'm going to trust it and whatever happens, happens."
Those concerns began to fade after the team met Evans over Zoom for the first time.
"Once we got on the Zoom with Ryan for the first time, I really felt a lot better about everything," Bartula said. "Hearing his goals and expectations for our team made me feel a lot better about the whole thing."
Their willingness to embrace Evans' unique approach, which includes running, core work and out-of-pool training, has already translated into results this season, as all three freshmen have recorded lifetime-best performances early in their collegiate careers.
For Evans, those results are no coincidence.
"They've bought into our coaching philosophy, and they've put the work in," Evans said. "It's not a fluke why they're swimming fast. It's because they're trusting the process."
That trust has helped each freshman work through challenges of her own.Â
For Bartula, her progress came through focusing on the smaller details of her technique, particularly her underwater work. Training alongside Allison gave her an opportunity to challenge herself and recognize areas where she could improve.
"When I train with Molly for underwaters, she's so good that when I would flip and push off, she's like a body length ahead," Bartula said. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I know this is the thing I need to work on.' So I really started pushing myself to do them and trying to stay with her."
That work paid off at the team's meet in Ohio, where Bartula earned a lifetime best in the 200 individual medley.
"I got a best time in my 200 IM, a time that I'd been stuck at for like two or three years, and I finally broke through and did it," Bartula said. "I feel like I've been working way more on my technique than I ever have, and I feel like that's paying off with the little things and details."
Dobek experienced a similar breakthrough in Ohio, finally moving past a time barrier in the 100-yard backstroke that had followed her since her junior year of high school.
"I had experienced so many mental blocks before racing. My fear of failure and my fear of going slow made me go slow," Dobek said. "I had been stuck at a time of 56 since my junior year of high school, and I finally broke through that in Ohio. It really showed me how much your mentality affects your performance, but also how much the people around you can help."
Allison, who had struggled to find confidence in the 200 freestyle, approached Evans about her concerns early in the season. His response was simple: she was swimming the event at the team's first meet.
"I had a very big mental block with my 200 freestyle," Allison said. "It was something I'd gone to Ryan about at the beginning of the season. I told him I wasn't sure if I could swim it, and he said, 'Well, you're in it on Friday.' I went out there and swam a best time, something I hadn't been able to do in probably two years."
Along with her early success in the 200 freestyle, Allison has entered the top-10 in program history in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events.This has provided her motivation to keep pushing toward her next goals.
"I wasn't really even thinking about the record books. I was just going out there and wanting to swim my best," Allison said. "When Ryan told me about it, I was obviously very excited. But I have more goals I want to accomplish, so I'm happy about it, but I don't want to settle. I just want to keep putting in the work."
Navigating through these challenges and tough training blocks together has helped them grow a friendship that extends well beyond the water.
Allison and Bartula have made a Sunday tradition out of going to Tony's Tacos together, while Dobek and Bartula share an apartment here in Normal. The three have become best friends during their first year at Illinois State, rarely going long without seeing one another.
"If we don't see each other for a week, we already miss each other," Dobek said.
Evans saw their connection beginning to take shape during an early-season practice as the team ran and warmed up. Dobek's mom had brought apple pie for the team to share, and Dobek had hoped to save the last piece for dessert. Bartula, however, got to it first, taking the final slice before Dobek had a chance to enjoy it later.
The incident sparked some friendly back-and-forth among the three freshmen, giving Evans an early glimpse of the bond they were building.
"Hearing that banter amongst them is when I realized that they're really starting to connect and feel comfortable with each other," Evans said. "They're all very different, but very similar. Molly and Julia tend to be a little bit more on the quiet side, and Martyna's a little bit more on the loud side, but they just balance each other in such a nice way."
Their connection has also helped shape the kind of program the three freshmen hope to build as they continue their careers at Illinois State.
"I want to go on a pool deck at a meet, whether it's a dual meet or conference, and everyone knows, 'That's Illinois State,' just by the energy we bring," Dobek said.
Building that identity will take contributions from every class, including the swimmers who will follow them into the program.
"As more people come in and when seniors leave, we just need to keep stepping up, bringing those new people in and making sure they feel welcomed," Dobek said.
For Allison, Bartula and Dobek, the climb up Hancock Stadium is one example of the challenges that come with building something new. The stairs may not get any shorter, but with each trip, they are learning to lean on one another, trust their coaches and keep pushing forward together.
