It's a few minutes before 6 a.m. It's dark. It's cold. And more than a dozen members of the Dixie State women's swimming team are about to leap into the outdoor pool near the Eccles Fitness Center.

Twice a week this is the routine. If these student-athletes are lucky, there won't be any wind.

"Sometimes it feels like you are jumping into a layer of ice," said sophomore Hannah Hansen (Lehi, Utah/Lehi HS). "Usually people are gasping."

Freshman Miriam Gonzalez (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta HS) adds, "seeing all my teammates there makes it better because we are all doing the same thing. I'm not the only one."

The Trailblazers are about to compete in the meet they have trained so long for, the Pacific Coach Swim and Dive Conference Championships, which begin this week La Mirada, Calif.

"The No. 1 thing the team has right now is good chemistry," said DSU Head Coach Benjamin Rae, who will take 16 swimmers with him to the conference meet. "Most coaches will tell you that is vital to a successful program — and maybe even more so in our sport where you don't get the reward of winning games all the time."

This is year two of the swim program at Dixie State and year three is expected to bring the completion of the Human Performance Center – which includes an Olympic-sized indoor pool. Ahead of the new facility, Rae and the coaching staff are seeing the fruits of their labor with this year's squad. Seemingly decimated by the loss of swimmers to Latter-day Saint missions (four of them) and unusual attrition throughout the season (five more), DSU nevertheless has established the fastest times in team history in 13 of 16 events this season.

More good news: Typically the conference championships are a place where personal bests are recorded.

One Trailblazer to watch is Gonzalez, who became the first DSU swimmer to secure an NCAA-qualifying B standard with her performance in the 50-meter freestyle Dec. 2 at the A3 Performance Invitational in Grand Junction, Colo. Gonzalez sliced through the water in a sizzling 23.8 seconds. She would likely need to shave at least three-tenths of a second from that time to qualify for the NCAA Championships, Rae said.

That she is in this position was not likely 18 months ago, when Gonzalez decided against going to Cal State Bakersfield on a swimming scholarship and instead opted to attend Dixie State. But not to swim. When she first stepped onto campus, Gonzalez, who has a sister that attends Southern Utah University, didn't even know DSU had a swimming program.  

"It sure would have been a waste had she never (contacted us) because I never would have known," Rae said.

Hansen, likewise, had signed a letter of intent with a different university. The difference between her and Gonzalez is that Hansen attended that school (BYU) and had what she felt like was a solid season. She didn't compete for the next two seasons while on an LDS Church Mission to Salem, Oregon. When she returned to Utah, she ventured south to St. George.

Despite her absence from the pool, Hansen has rounded back into form. She competes in the 100 breaststroke, 200 breast and 200 individual medley. Her best 100 breast time (1:04.69) is .04 seconds off the NCAA B standard.

Hansen said her break from swimming and a change in venue made her more excited to return to the sport.

"I believed Dixie would be a better fit for me in a lot of ways," Hansen said. "I'd have the opportunity to be a part of creating a culture and legacy for the team."

One more Blazer is close to a B standard: Hannah Bodkin (Salem, Ore./West Salem HS), a true freshman, is less than one second off in the 200 breast.

All eyes now are on the Pac West meet. The Trailblazers are hoping the payoff is worth screaming over.

"You are there six months training 20 hours a week and you are hoping that you get to that one moment at the end that it all comes together," Rae said. "Are you hundredths of a second faster after training for 20 weeks?"