02/22 at 01:31 AM

After winning the 200-yard freestyle earlier this week, Caitlin Geary reflected on the swim.

She started out fast, leading the entire race, but had to dig deep to stay in the lead and touch the wall first.

“… I just had to hold on to it and fight at the end,” she said. “This year taught me a lot about how to fight and how to stay strong and that’s just what I did.”

For the Auburn swimming and diving programs, this year has been all about battles.

Fighting through not only the rigors of countless hours of training, waking up before the sun just to swim back and forth in a 25-yard pool lane for miles at a time, but it’s also been about pushing through life.

And the possibility of death.

By now you know about Richard Quick, the head of Auburn swimming and diving. The 65-year-old coach has an inoperable, cancerous brain tumor. He got the news days before Christmas, and has been on the pool deck just a handful of times since.

Saturday night, however, he was there. Even though it was only for a little while — he left before the final event and the trophy presentations — but his presence was felt.

He spoke to some swimmers and coaches. But it wasn’t his words that mattered. It was his actions. “Richard’s way of saying things — talk is cheap,” said Auburn senior and SEC Male Swimmer of the Year Matt Targett. “He wishes us every success in the midst of what should be a selfish time of his life, he’s giving it for us as much as he can. The fact that he even came here tonight means a lot to us, and we just tried to show him how much he means to us.”

It’s simple really: Actions speak louder than any cheers or locker-room speech.

And Quick’s presence spoke loud and clear.

Perseverance. Desire.

Like Geary said, holding on and fighting.

Just like Quick, who, although the outcome is bleak, continues to fight everyday for life and influencing others.

And it’s left an impression on his Tigers.

And Saturday, they repaid him. Again, not with words, but with actions. By the men winning their 13th consecutive SEC title and the women scratching and clawing for a second-place finish, consider the message delivered.

“The team just tried to focus on winning, that’s what Richard wanted us to do — just finish the job that we started early in the year,” said Auburn co-head men’s coach Brett Hawke. “We stayed focused throughout the whole meet and now it’s just a feeling of relief that we won and Richard was here to see it tonight and he just wanted to pass on to the team how proud he was of us.”

Hawke and co-head women’s coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker were named — with Quick — the SEC Coaches of the Year for their respective teams. An honor that was voted on by the conference coaches.

“The reason why I’m here today is because of Richard,” Hawke said. “He’s taught me everything and he’s mentored me throughout the last couple of years. I feel like I’m just an extension of him. It’s great and an honor for me to be mentioned in the same line as Richard Quick.”

Tierney-Walker was just as proud to be honored with Quick — her mentor, who also recruited her to swim for the University of Texas in the early 1990s.

But for Tierney-Walker, Saturday night — the whole week, in fact — was all about Quick and what he’s meant to the Auburn swimming program. What he taught them.

“I’m not sure if anybody’s in the same sentence as Richard Quick,” she said. “I’m just honored to represent him and represent Auburn in such a tremendous fashion. The way our entire team, men and women, fought this weekend is what Richard taught them. And he wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

“I’m blessed. I feel honored to be named coach of the year with him, but this is the Richard Quick Show and I’m just fortunate enough to be one of the players.”

Players who hold on and fight.

Just like Quick.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at 737-2513.