While the rest of the University of Minnesota is resting during the upcoming winter break, the menâÄôs and womenâÄôs swimming and diving teams will not have a break from practice âÄî though they will have a winter getaway. Both teams are coming off a big weekend at the Ohio State Invitational. The women won the meet and the men took second while seeing some tremendous performances from many swimmers. The teams will hit the road after the Christmas season, heading to Hawaii for their annual winter training trip. The trip to Hawaii will provide an escape for the teams, who have worked hard to achieve unbeaten records so far this season. It will also give them the chance to evaluate their fall season and make changes as they turn the corner on the Big Ten and NCAA tournament meets beginning in February . Gophers head coach Dennis Dale said the team has had a successful start to the season, with spectacular performances last weekend in Ohio. âÄúWe didnâÄôt break any school records,âÄù Dale said, âÄúbut we really set ourselves up for an excellent Big Ten championships and beyond.âÄù Just over two weeks in Hawaii will help the team see what it needs to improve in order to be successful. âÄúWe hope to actually get in some good training over there and hopefully clean up some of the problems we had at Ohio State,âÄù Dale said. The teams will compete against the University of Hawaii on Jan. 10 , before travelling to Washington to take on the University of Seattle on Jan . 17 en route to Minneapolis. Dale said the meets will be competitive for the team. The NCAA and Big Ten championships will be big focuses for both teams during the winter training trip. WomenâÄôs co-head coach Kelly Kramer said prior to last weekendâÄôs meet that having a lighter schedule will help the team achieve academic success during finals, but then itâÄôs right back in the pool for the women. âÄúAs soon as the semester in terms of school is over, then weâÄôll get back right to focusing in on preparing for March,âÄù Kramer said. The teams chose Hawaii to break from distractions that might plague swimmers at home, like errands and appointments. It also improves the overall mood of the trip, Dale said. âÄúWe can focus on just swimming,âÄù he said. âÄúWe go to Hawaii, because if weâÄôre going to be doing that, it makes it a little more bearable.âÄù