As predicted, the women’s swimming and diving team dominated Coast Guard Academy at the dual-meet held on Saturday, Feb. 9, ending the day with an overwhelming 60-point victory. The Cardinals celebrated the accomplishment of its four seniors before the meet.
“Saturday was a very emotional meet,” said Amanda Shapiro ’08. “As the last dual meet of my swimming career, it was a great way to end the season. We performed amazingly well as individuals and as a team.”
The team drowned Coast Guard, anchoring wins in 11 out of the 16 events. Together the team worked hard to achieve victories all across the board. In a number of events the Cards managed to finish in the top three slots, including the 200 backstroke and the 100 and 200 butterfly. The freshmen class continued to swim strong for the team, with Cara Madden capturing the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke while Amelia Lupinetti took the 200 IM.
“Our freshman class is a force to be reckoned with,” Shapiro said. “They have such positive attitudes and are hard workers. Their performance on Saturday makes us that much more excited for NESCACS.”
For the upper classmen, Catherine Kast ’09 along with Darren Thomason ’11 won the 100 mixed freestyle, ending the meet on a high note. Placing first for the seniors were Amanda Shapiro with the 100 and 200 yard breastroke and Kate Krems in the 100 and 200 yard butterfly. Krems and Shapiro, along with Madden’11 and Janine Zaltsman ’11, also helped the team regain the title of the 200 medley relay that they lost in the previous meet.
“We have a very cohesive team,” said Shapiro. “It is no surprise that our success in the medley relay on Saturday can be attributed to the trust we have for one another and everyone’s dedication to practice.”
The diving team also had a successful showing, landing wins in both the one- and three-meter dive. Freshmen Naima Ford ’11 placed first in the one-meter and Roynan Krebs ’11 splashed into victory in the three-meter. Jessica Houghton ’08 followed up with a third place finish in the one- and three-meter.
“We dove very consistently on Saturday, the freshmen class in particular which really helped out the team,” Houghton said. “Our victory against Coast Guard can be attributed to the training we’ve done all year. It has definitely improved our skill level which showed in the meet. Our team looked good.”
Looking forward to NESCACs in two weeks, the Cardinals will try to get some rest while maintaining their endurance level. At this point the team is tapering, which in swim lingo means cutting back on yardage.
“This really helps us get in the rest we need to repair our muscles, and also allows us to focus on race-specific details,” Shapiro said. “Attention to detail is crucial during championship races.”
As for diving, the team will be deciding the 11 dives-list for NESCACS. In the regular season, there are only six dives so these next two weeks will determine who will dive more than once during the events in the competition. In addition, the team will work to fine-tune the art of diving.
“We need to work on small adjustments that will raise our scores such as pointed toes and clean entries into the water,” Houghton said. “The smallest detail counts.”
As the team anticipates the work ahead of them, the seniors are particularly nostalgic as they enter the final weeks of their swimming and diving career.
“Going into championships as a senior is definitely bitter-sweet,” Shapiro said. “There are leadership responsibilities as an upperclassman at this time because the freshmen are unsure of what to expect at championships. At the same time, there is so much to prepare for and focus on.”
The NESCAC Championship takes place Feb. 22-24 and is hosted at the Wesleyan Natatorium. If the team does well, it will advance to Nationals which are held at Miami University of Ohio in the middle of March.
“Hopefully we will get individuals and relay teams to qualify,” Shapiro said.
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