Final home meet a sweet one for the women's swimming seniors

For the senior members of the Tufts swimming team, last Saturday against Bates was their final home meet. For the situation, the match could not have been scripted any better. The Jumbos edged conference rival Bates 151-149 in front of a large crowd who came to see the seniors off.

"For the seniors it was a perfect way to end our last home meet _ with no regrets," senior tri-captain Rebecca Ullman said.

The Jumbos marked the date on the calendar before the season even started. Last year they were a step behind Bates at both their duel meet and at the NESCAC Championships. However they knew that this year the meet would come down to the wire. The team wanted to send a message to the entire conference that they are one of its best teams.

"I'm really proud of their effort," coach Nancy Bigelow said. "I think this meet, along with the MIT meet, was the best meet across the board that we have had all year."

In a meet this close, every point counted, and the seniors seized the day to get those crucial points for the Jumbos. In the 200-yard medley relay, Tufts took second and third, with seniors Danielle Blaney and Ullman swimming the first two legs of the team that came in third. Sophomore Sarah Ferranti and junior Amanda Bloom were the other two legs. Ullman also won two more points for the Jumbos, with one the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke events. Blaney also came back after the first race to score points in a meet where every point was crucial.

Blaney swam to second in the 100 backstroke behind teammate, sophomore Sarah Ferranti. Then, in the final relay, the 200 freestyle, Blaney and fellow senior Amy Levin completed one half of the team that came in third in the event. A pair of freshmen, Kyle Pong and Katie Seyboth rounded out the team.

"The score difference in the end amounted to the difference between fifth and sixth place in two races," Ullman said. "Everybody knew we needed to get first and third in the last relay to win before it started so there was a lot of excitement."

And that is just what they did, as the team also took first with a lineup of Bloom, sophomores Suzi Ascoli and Kate Stevens, and freshman Katie Mims finishing over three seconds ahead of the Bates team that came in second.

Earlier in the meet Mims took first in the 50 freestyle. She was also a member of the Jumbo relay team that finished second in the 400 relay. Filling out the team were junior Mika Sumiyoshi, sophomore Katherine Ferguson, and freshman Meghan Wallach.

Sumiyoshi once again had an excellent meet, wining all three individual events that she competed in. First she bested Bates swimmer Nicole Sparks in the 200 freestyle. Then, she came back in the 200 backstroke to speed past the rest of the field by over six seconds. Then she took first in the 200 IM over teammate sophomore Erica Weitz.

Besides finishing second to Sumiyoshi in that event, Weitz took nine points for first place in the 500 freestyle. She also added another second place finish in the 200 butterfly.

"It being senior day added even more motivation," Weitz said. "We had a lot of energy. The excitement of the meet rubbed off on everybody."

However, the Jumbos spent so much energy and were at such a high over the win over Bates that they almost let one slip away against Brandies just the next day. They managed to hold on and win by another slim margin, this time 152-148.

"We were definitely flat," Bigelow said. "People were swimming their off events."

It was a very grueling weekend, but when all was said and done Tufts ended up 2-0, and 7-1 overall. The team's regular season schedule will conclude at Middlebury on Saturday. This week will be dedicated to recovery, and preparation for Middlebury and more importantly the NESCAC Championships.