This winter, the Women’s and Men’s Swimming and Diving teams have been hard at work. Ranked near the top when compared to other NESCAC teams, their season ramps up to the NESCAC Championships, held the next two weekends at Williams for the Women’s team and Bates for the Men’s.
The Women’s team has had a solid season, finishing with a 6-1 record and beating all but Williams who are currently ranked second in the league. Reliant on the upperclassmen that have allowed the team to be successful the past two years, this season’s freshman class, making up almost half the team, was a remarkable addition.
Coach Marc Benvenuti feels that “the freshmen have each found a way to add something to the team and they have all made us better in some way. They have definitely raised the bar for the upperclassmen.” Maggie Nelson, a junior on the team, relies on the freshman class for their “new energy they bring to the team as they come in each year faster and faster.” Freshman Valerie Urban was recently awarded NESCAC Co-Swimmer of the Week after posting three wins in their meet against the Coast Guard Academy.
Although there have been many highlights of the Women’s season, a few stand out in particular. Rachel Bohn ’14 views their win over Keene State this past month as one of the turning points in their season. “In the past, that meet has been difficult for us because it is right when we come back from training trip, so everyone is physically and mentally exhausted. Going into that meet, we thought it would be close but everyone stepped up and swam their best, regardless of how they were feeling, and we were able to beat them easily.”
The Camels posted a 186-94 win during this out-of-league meet against Keene State. Out of the pool, senior Julia Pielock views their training trip down in Florida as a highlight, praising how “the team bonded and came together.”
The road to NESCACs has been paved with a solid foundation for the Women’s team. Last year they came in sixth at the Championships despite a majority of the team battling the flu, so this year the team’s hopes are high.
Benvenuti feels that “the women can improve upon that finish, but it will be very close between 3rd and 7th places.” Middlebury and Bates will be the women’s top competitors: defeating them could lead to a position in the top four. During the season, the Camels topped Middlebury by a close eight points and snuck by Bates with 11.
The men’s team has ended their season with a 5-2 NESCAC record, falling only to Williams and Tufts, who hold third place in the division. Similar to the women’s team, the incoming class of freshmen for the men’s team was vital to their successful season. Being the fastest group of freshmen in the program’s history, senior Sam Gill also noted that their presence in itself provided a contribution; “they’re also a great bunch of guys which always helps out with the team chemistry.”
Highlights of the men’s season include impressive wins in dual meets against Trinity and Hamilton and a big victory over Bates (205-75) to finish off the season strongly before the championship.
Last year the men’s team stepped up at the NESCAC Championships, ranking third overall. Coach Benvenuti aims for the same or better standings and think they will “have to have another great meet just to stay there, though the gap between second and third should shrink considerably.”
Although at about the same place as last year in terms of wins and losses at the end of the season, Gill feels as though the “difference this year is the incredible depth of our team.” Having a full team of 24 heading into the NESCAC Championships will be a big asset as it will give them the ability to score as many points as possible.
The next stop on the Women’s and Men’s Swim Team’s journey is the NESCAC Championships and further down the road is the hopes that many will head to Indianapolis to compete in the NCAA Championships. For now, their focus is on swimming their best at NESCACs, as they’ve spent all season setting themselves up to peak at this meet. •
