LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Swimming in general has a family feel. After spending hours at the pool for a swim meet, combined with multiple practices each week, teammates get to know each other well. Depending on how that relationship is fostered, swimmers either grow into a family-like bond or compete against one another to better themselves.
 
Here at Biola the former is definitely the case. Swimmers thrive under the leadership of Head Coach Eddie Shepard, who promotes the family-feel of the sport.
 
"I think Eddie does a good job of that – making it almost his family. I can see there being coaches that would not foster that, or where it wouldn't be as tight of a family," said senior swimmer Christine Tixier.
 
Coaching style contributes to the overall feel of the team; in high school some coaches tried to motivate swimmers by making the team members compete against each other during practice. Instead of coaching the swimmers to encourage one another and swim for their teammates to increase the team's success, some coaches do not create the strong family atmosphere that is prevalent at Biola.
 
Not only does the sport have a family feel, but also direct relatives have often competed together at Biola over the years. From its establishment in 1997-98, Biola Swim & Dive has witnessed 16 pairs of siblings come through the program, including three pairs of siblings on this year's team.
 
Siblings say the atmosphere at Biola is far more motivational than what they experienced during high school. Instead of competing against each other, here they feel inclined to encourage their siblings' success, as well as the success of the rest of the team.
 
"This is the first time we've swam on a Christian team and so I think if anything it's a lot easier because in high school people would just pit us against each other a lot. Here I feel like we're viewed more as individuals and I think that's really nice," said freshman swimmer Samantha Dammann.
 
The coaches and swimmers work hard to promote the family atmosphere, making it so the sibling relationships are comparable to the other bonds created on the team. After spending time together both in and out of the pool, the team knows each other like family.
 
"Swim teams just in general are typically pretty close just because of the sport and the nature of it, but at Biola people legitimately care about you and actually want to hang out with you outside of practice and outside of school," said senior swimmer Bretton Smith.
 
The sibling pairs involved with the program over the years have impacted the growth and success of the team, beginning with the Peck sisters, Rachelle and Roxanne, who were instrumental in launching the diving program in 2005-06. Now, all six siblings on the 2014-15 team made it to the NAIA Swimming & Diving championships.
 
The most successful sibling pair in terms of swimming honors is Christine and Lisa Tixier. In their single season swimming together, the duo recorded three NAIA National Championships, three national records, 13 school records and 12 All-American awards. Since coming to Biola, the Tixiers and other sibling pairs have thrived under the family feel that Shepard promotes.
 
The crowning moment of their season swimming together and the example of sibling success in Biola's swim program came when Christine and Lisa took first and second place in the 200-IM at this year's NAIA Swimming & Diving Championships.
 
While Christine enjoys swimming alongside her sister, what she will take away from her time swimming at Biola are the experiences she's had with the entire team.
 
"Here it's like you're away from home and this is kind of our family and we need to invest in this group and so [Lisa's] part of that group that I'm investing in, whereas at home it was just kind of our swim team," said Tixier.
 
Although swimming as a sport often fosters a family feel, this is intensified at Biola because of Shepard's coaching style and the team's history of seeing 16 pairs of siblings through the program. Each person involved works to make Biola Swim & Dive a home away from home and judging by the team's success, it appears to be effective.