The women's swimming team kept on rolling this past weekend, defeating Bowdoin, 169-101, in its third consecutive dual-meet win.
Solid performances across the board anchored the team, including victories in the both relays and the diving events, capped-off by junior Kendall Swett's new Tufts record in the 1-meter dive. The Jumbos and the Polar Bears each won eight events on the day, but Tufts' superior depth ensured victory before the final relay even left the board.
"Depth was definitely an important factor in this dual meet," coach Nancy Bigelow said "Bowdoin has some very talented swimmers, but they don't have any depth. Our depth in some events is not strong, compared to a Williams or a Middlebury, but it sure helped us against both Bowdon and Wellesley [last Wednesday]."
Tufts started off the meet on the right foot with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay, consisting of sophomore Michelle Caswell, senior tri-captain Chloe Young-Hyman, junior Tia Bassano and senior Eva Johnson. The Jumbos won easily with a time of 1:55.09, defeating Bowdoin by over two seconds.
Senior Jess Bollinger won the 1000 freestyle for the third meet in a row, swimming 11:21.27. Sophomores Katie Swett and Katie Auerbach followed closely on Bollinger's heels, taking second and third in the event with times of 11:36.11 and 11:41.60, respectively. Bollinger also put up points for the Jumbos with second-place finishes in the 500 freestyle and the 200-yard IM.
Once again, the diving team led the way for the Jumbos. Swett won both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, as she has in every meet this season. In the 1-meter dive, Swett set a new Tufts record, breaking one she had set earlier this year, by scoring 272.48 points. Freshman Kelsey Bell finished second in the 1-meter dive and third in the 3-meter dive, adding to her already stellar inaugural campaign.
"The divers are a huge asset to our team," Young-Hyman said. "We have an extremely talented group of divers this year. They are all new to the team this year and each of them has contributed greatly to our success. With a strong swim team combined with a really strong diving team this year, I think that our team as a whole is going to be extremely successful."
Young-Hyman was a key piece of that strong swimming squad this weekend. Along with her legs on the two winning relays, she also won two individual events - the 100 breaststroke and the 50 freestyle. She won the 100 breaststroke by over three seconds with a time of 1:08.85, following it up with a victory in the freestyle, swimming 25.31 seconds to hold off Bowdoin junior Carrie Roble. Sophomore Kayla Burke and Caswell finished third and fifth in that event, respectively.
The team has depended on Young-Hyman and Swett for consistency in their results.
"It is like having an Adam Vineteri on your team, or someone who will always make the free throw to tie or win a game," Bigelow said. "It sure helps when you are developing a lineup against an opposing team to know you can count on those athletes."
Freshman Merideth Cronin won an event for the second meet in a row, taking first place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:03.39. Along with Young-Hyman and Swett, the freshmen have played an integral role in the team's success thus far.
"Every year, the freshmen class seems to get faster and faster," Young-Hyman said. "We have a really talented group of girls this year, and they have been playing a major role in our success thus far."
Despite the loss, Bowdoin still had two swimmers win multiple events. Senior co-captain Megan McLean won the 100 butterfly, the 100 freestyle and the 500 freestyle while also participating on Bowdoin's 400-yard freestyle relay team. Senior Katie Chapman won the 200 backstroke, 200 freestyle and 200 IM while participating in the same relay.
The difference-maker for the Jumbos was their ability to consistently place athletes in second and third in these events, thereby neutralizing the Polar Bears' wins, and is a clear sign of the depth on the Tufts roster this year.
Tufts will square off against Brandeis tonight before taking a break from competition for more than a month while it travels to Aruba for winter break. The Jumbos will not swim in a meet again until Jan. 14 against Williams and Wesleyan.
