Panther Swimmers Outpaced by Williams at NESCAC Finals

Author: Meghan Dwyer

This past weekend the Middlebury College women's swimming and diving team competed in the second annual New England Small College Athletic Conference Championships (NESCAC) at Williams College. The meet, which lasted three days, marked the end of the season for most of the team, and it could not have ended on a better note.

The high level of energy and excitement that the team displayed resulted in a number of season-best performances earned Middlebury third place in the meet, just behind Williams and Amherst.

Sophomores Lizzy DeWitt and Kellianne Egan earned the title of NESCAC Champions, each winning one of their events. Dewitt took the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 28.21, while Egan captured the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:34.43, setting the meet record and making the National B cut in the event.

The Panther women had strong performances all around, placing in the top eight in nearly every event. Mandy Smeal '02, Katie Tallon '02, K. Egan, Sarah Groff '04, DeWitt and Kate Miller '05 finished in the top eight in all of their individual events, with Smeal, Egan, Groff, Dewitt and Miller making the National B cut times in their respective events. First-year Kelly Quinn broke the school's varsity record in the 50-yard breaststroke, placing third overall in that event, while diver Tessa Truex '05 placed fifth in the one-meter diving competition.

Strong relays contributed greatly to the team's success, with each relay making National B-cut times. The 200-yard freestyle relay of Martha Goebel '04, Amanda Macomber '02, Lauren King '05 and Smeal finished second overall, while the 200-yard Medley relay of DeWitt, Quinn, Smeal and Goebel and the 400-yard Medley relay of DeWitt, Quinn, Smeal and King both finished fourth in the meet.

The 800-yard freestyle relay of DeWitt, Egan, King and Groff placed second, while the 400-yard freestyle relay of Goebel, King, Groff and DeWitt ended the meet on a markedly high note, coming in third place overall.

For the seniors, this championship meet was bittersweet, as it marked the end of great swimming careers. Jamie Davidson, Shannon Egan, Kara Leibel, Macomber, Smeal, Tallon and Becky Swenson all swam in their last meet ever, and they proved again and again how valuable they are to the team, and how much they will be missed. The incredible contributions the women have made in and out of the pool during the last four years make them a truly special class. With season best times for all seven of them, this weekend could not have ended on a more perfect note. The team looks forward to the men's NESCAC Championship at Wesleyan University this weekend and the Division III National Championship meet March 14-17 at the University of Miami of Ohio.