After a month-long winter break featuring some well-deserved rest and a training trip to Puerto Rico, the Swarthmore swim team made a triumphant return to the pool last week. Going a combined 5-0 in three dual meets, the Garnet reasserted its enviable depth on both teams and welcomed back several key contributors from semesters spent abroad.
The women took to the water first, opening the second half of the season with a dual meet against Tri-Co rival Bryn Mawr on Wednesday. The Garnet made quick work of the Owls, earning a 100-79 victory on the strength of double individual victories from four separate underclassmen. Supriya Davis ’15 and Kate Wiseman ’15, in the middle of two of the finest rookie seasons in program history, took home two wins apiece in individual events. Davis beat the field by a minute and 18 seconds in the 1000 freestyle, touching in 11:00.52; she then finished first in the 100 butterfly, her time of 58.33 fourth-fastest in the Swarthmore record books.
Maggie Regan ’14 and Becky Teng ’14 were double-winners as well, continuing their evasions of the sophomore slump. Regan earned convincing victories in the 200 IM (2:18.32) and the 500 freestyle (5:29.11), leading the field by over fifteen seconds in the latter race. Teng placed first in the 200 freestyle (2:08.59) and the 100 breaststroke (1:14.09).
The Garnet also benefitted from notable performances from several other swimmers, including Erin Lowe ’14, Rosalie Lawrence ’12, Naomi Glassman ’12, Jacqueline Scala ’12, and Amelia Possanza ’12. In an interview with the Daily Gazette, head coach Sue Davis commented on the depth of her squad, saying, “Leadership … comes from every team member and I rely on that for the success of our team.”
“This is definitely the strongest team I’ve ever seen at Swarthmore, both in terms of individual swimmers and in terms of the whole team dynamic,” Lawrence, who took second in the 100 backstroke (1:06.00) against Bryn Mawr, said. “We have an incredibly balanced team, [and] it’s great to see us performing well in short and long races as well as relays. This is going to be really important as we look ahead to our next three meets, which are all expected to be very close.”
Neither the men nor the women appeared to have much trouble with the Cabrini Cavaliers on Saturday, as the women took home a 110-80 win while the men breezed through an 81-55 victory.
On the men’s side, the Garnet benefited from the returns of several swimmers, including Josh Satre ’13 and Daniel Duncan ’13, from semesters abroad. Satre wasted no time in making his presence felt, earning two victories on the day in the 1000 (10:38.91) and 500 (5:10.04) freestyles. Duncan celebrated his return with a win in the 200 freestyle (1:51.63).
“Our first meet back was a good chance for everyone to get back into the swing of things,” Duncan said. “Watching from abroad, I was really impressed with the early part of the season, and it looks like everyone got right back into it. The next few meets will be a better test of where we are, and a lot more fun because there will be some fast people to race.”
Seven other Swarthmore men also earned first place finishes, as Stan Le ‘14 (100 breaststroke, 1:04.60), Frederick Toohey ‘14 (200 butterfly, 2:11.06), Dante Fuoco ‘12 (200 backstroke, 2:11.39), Lance Liu ’12 (200 breaststroke, 2:23.22), John Flaherty ’14 (400 IM, 4:26.33), Tim Brevart ’12 (100 freestyle, 50.39), and Max Krackow ‘15 (50 freestyle, 22.92) touched ahead of the field in one event each.
Krackow, who appears poised to succeed Brevart as the team’s primary sprinter, credited winter-break training with his early second-half success. “The trip absolutely helped me to refocus on my swimming in the second semester,” he said. “It only takes a few days of not swimming to get out of shape, [so] … I am pretty sure the hard work will pay off.”
The women boasted five double-winners in their half of the meet, once again showcasing their depth to the fullest extent. Teng (100 backstroke, 1:05.39; 100 freestyle, 58.27), Regan (1000 freestyle, 11:21.99; 400 IM, 4:53.55), and Davis (500 freestyle, 5:21.31; 200 freestyle, 1:57.88) replicated their successes from earlier in the week, and were joined by Lawrence (200 breaststroke, 2:40.34; 100 breaststroke, 1:13.19) and Lowe (50 freestyle, 26.46; 200 backstroke, 2:22.12). Glassman (100 butterfly, 1:04.88) and Hannah Gotwals ’13 (200 butterfly, 2:31.69) also earned first-place finishes for the Garnet.
On Wednesday, the Garnet routed Washington College by scores of 133-72 (men) and 123-77 (women). Davis again won both distance freestyle events for the women, including a 10:47.64 in the 1000 freestyle which is second-fastest in school history. Wiseman swept the sprint freestyle events, winning the 50 in a fast 24.96 and outtouching Davis by 0.14 seconds on the 100, her 54.15 fourth-fastest in program history.
Satre repeated his distance sweep for the men (1000 freestyle, 10:27.50; 500 freestyle, 5:08.29), while Flaherty took the 200 IM (2:03.52) and 200 backstroke (2:03.06), and Duncan the 200 freestyle (1:51.04).
Despite success so far this season — the women currently boast a 5-1 record, while the men are 3-2 — the swimmers believe that the best swims of the season are yet to come, in response to the toughest challenges.
“Once we rest and taper for our Conference champs, one should expect to see a dramatic drop in time,” Krackow said. “We’ll be well rested and able to give our peak performance.”
The Garnet will attempt to keep the ball rolling on Saturday, as the Gettysburg Bullets visit for the final home meet of the season. The action is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m.
