Compete Results
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Coming off of a decisive win last weekend against Springfield, the Williams College women's swimming and diving team defeated Union College this Saturday 206-86. As their first home meet of the season, this one certainly set an exciting precedent – the Ephs literally swept the meet, with swimmers finishing first in every single event. The win sets the Ephs record at 2-0 and the Dutchwomen at 1-2 for the 2013-2014 season.
Williams started the meet off with a characteristic bang, taking first, second, and third place in the opening 200-yd Medley Relay. The carefully crafted quartet of Angela Sun '16, Breanna Nguyen '16, Aly Levine '14 and Lauren Jones '17 took first with an impressive time of 1:50.40, closely followed by their Williams counterparts. Union's first relay touched in at fourth with a time of 1:56.03, followed by the final Williams relay coming in at fifth. The Ephs only continued to exhibit their competitive energy and intensity as the meet wore on, thriving off the presence of their fans and each other.
Next up in the 1,000-yd freestyle, sophomore Katie Bennett '16 made some waves in an event she usually doesn't find herself swimming. Taking first with a time of 10:48.15, Bennett had a very impressive in-season swim, as well as strong performances across the board. She was also second in the 100-yd freestyle (55.92) and third in the 400-yd IM (4:41.06). Next to the wall in the 1,000 was teammate Olivia Clark '17, who again proved the freshman class's refusal to be overlooked with her time of 10:59.32.
Continuing to show their strength in the freestyle events, Williams moved on to take first through fourth place in the 200-yd freestyle. Freshman Lauren Jones '17 charged to the front of the pack with a finish at 1:55.37, a great swim both for being in-season and as a first-year member of Kuster's squad. Cruising in behind Jones were Breanna Nguyen '16, Tess Vorselen '15, and Erica Meyers '17, all of whom beat out the two Union swimmers also racing the event. Similar to her classmates Jones and Clark, Olivia Jackson '17 had an overall successful meet, coming in first in the 100-yd backstroke with a time of 1:01.14, and another first in the 100-yd freestyle at 55.66.
The breaststroke events also proved successful for the Ephs, and showed the team's impressive depth as different swimmers came through in each. Molly Prindle '15 had a stellar in-season swim, claiming first with a time of 1:09.36. Right behind her throughout the race and at the finish was Sofie Pietrantonio at 1:11.16. In the 200, Breanna Nguyen '16 held strong in first with a time of 2:30.38. Teammate Sarah Thompson again exhibited her versatility and talent in a multitude of events, coming in second with a time of 2:33.60 in a race that is not part of her usual lineup. Thompson also had a strong showing in the 50-yd freestyle and 400-yd IM, placing first and second respectively.
The women rounded out the meet with overwhelming victories in the 400-yd IM and 200-freestlye relay. The lineup of Megan Pierce '17, Sarah Thompson '15, Katie Bennett '16 and Erica Bucki '15 touched in one by one to win first through fourth place in the IM. The relay, as the last event of the meet, was greeted by resounding energy from both the crowd and the swimmers, and the women charged to the wall for an impressive first through third place sweep.
As usual, the Williams divers dominated the boards, with Michelle Higgins '15, McKenzie Murdoch '15, and Ari Ross '17 placing first through third respectively on the 1-meter. On the 3-meter, the divers again performed with exemplary grace and skill, with Murdoch placing first, Higgins in second and Ross locking it in with third.
The team's first home meet proved to be an excellent opportunity for the women to push each other to swim faster than last weekend, and to keep morale and energy levels high. As assistant coach Nick Stone noted, "the meet was very well swum and again shows that we are off to a good start, but obviously there is still work to be done." This work will be tackled over the next two weeks, as the Ephs head home for Thanksgiving but continue to train with zeal in anticipation of their next competition. The team's next meet with be at Boston College on Saturday, Dec. 7.
