Complete Results
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – The Williams College women's swimming & diving team raised its record to 3-0 on the year with a 208-92 win over Division I Boston College (2-7) this afternoon.
Steve Kuster's Ephs won the first six events and never looked back in gaining their third straight win. The Ephs won all but two events on the day.
Michelle Higgins and McKenzie Murdoch went 1-2 on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards this afternoon. Higgins won the 3-meter with 278.62 points, while Murdoch tallied 271.27. On the lower board Higgins scored 267.60 and Murdoch scored 252.97. Freshman Ari Ross also had a strong showing, taking third after Higgins and Murdoch on both boards.
As usual the Ephs set the tone with the opening relay, taking down their first set of Div. I opponents with ease. The all-star relay made up of Katie Bennett '16, Breanna Nguyen '16, Aly Levine '14 and Faye Sultan '16 outpaced the field by an entire 3 seconds to finish with a time of 1:49.83. This quartet was followed by another wave of Eph relays, as the women took third and fifth in the event as well, out-touching their Boston College counterparts. The momentum continued from there, as the women exhibited their impressive depth in the distance department with a sweep of the 1,000-yd freestyle. The trio of Sarah Thompson '15, Megan Pierce '17, and Erica Bucki '15 lead the pack throughout the long and grueling 40 laps, and Thompson posted a particularly impressive in-season time of 10:17.32.
Continuing their reign in the freestyle realm of things, the Ephs also distinguished themselves in the 200-yd freestyle, with freshman Lauren Jones and junior Tess Vorselen taking first and third respectively. Next up was a 1-2-3 finish for the team in the 100-yd backstroke event, where the underclassmen stepped up to wipe out their Div. I competitors. Katie Bennett '16, Olivia Jackson '17 and Angie Sun '16 finished strong for the Ephs, with Bennett the only swimmer to break a minute – an impressive feat for this point in the season. Other sophomores and freshman stepped up across the board, including Breanna Nguyen '16 with a first in the 100-yd breaststroke at 1:08.18 and Megan Pierce '17 flying to first in the 200-yd butterfly at 2:08.42.
The 200-yd fly was overall a great event for the Ephs. Along with Pierce's speedy first place, the team charged past the Eagles to take third through sixth place as well. The ranks of Sofie Pietrantonio '17, Paige Haller '16, Aly Levine '14 and Maddy Holker '16 were broken only by a single Boston College swimmer who took second. Sophomore Faye Sultan had a solid meet, scoring high for the Ephs in the sprint freestyle events. She took second in the 50-yd race with a quick 24.58 and another second in the 100-yd freestyle at 53.54. Thompson took a close first in that event as well, with a sizzling 53.30.
As the meet rolled on, the 200-yd breaststroke provided another showcase for the team's inter-class depth. Nguyen '16 continued her breaststroke streak, finishing first with a time of 2:26.15. In third was Olivia Clark '17 at 2:30.68 with Molly Prindle '15 hot on her heels at 2:31.72.
The team closed out the meet with a set of decisive swims in the final 400-yd free relay. Nguyen '16 and Sultan '16 were back in action in the first place spotlight, joined by fellow freestylers Lauren Jones '17 and Sarah Thompson '15. The foursome took first by a forceful 5 seconds, affirming the Ephs' ability to compete on and above the level of Boston College's Division I swimmers.
Head coach Steve Kuster was pleased by the opportunity to employ a full lineup against Boston College, placing swimmers in their strongest events to match the Eagles' strongest swimmers. "A win is never a bad thing – especially against a Div. I team," said Kuster. "The divers truly stepped up, and I thought people swam well considering the circumstances of the long week of practice and the pool itself." However, there is always more work to be done. In their upcoming meets, Kuster's squad will focus on maintaining their energy and aggression throughout the whole session, no matter how long it takes. For now, the team gears up both for finals and their much-anticipated training trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
After the break the Ephs will host Boston University on Janury 4th at 1:00 PM to kickoff the remainder of their 2013-14 schedule.
