SLC swim team ends season third place in conference

by Catie Griffin '11

Tuesday January 22, 2008

The water was warm, and the air was cold, but the swim team remained optimistic in their first away meet against Purchase College on Nov. 16. Although the team from Sarah Lawrence swam their hardest, they came up short against a larger Purchase squad. Despite losing the meet, many of the swimmers clocked in some of their best times.

First year Amanda Davis beat her old time in the 200 medley relay with a 2:48.35, sophomore Emma Machugh clocked in a 38.35 in the 50 backstroke, sophomore Rachel Schneider got a 1:14.51 in the 100 butterfly, and sophomore Emma Forrester beat her old time in the 50 freestyle with a 32.46 and in the 50 butterfly with a 37.92.

The swimmers weren’t about to let their spirits fade after the meet. The team was seen celebrating their mostly win-filled season with pizza after the meet.

Their next meet was much more successful. On Nov. 29, the Sarah Lawrence team dominated the pool against St. Elizabeth College. Firsts and seconds were achieved in most events, racking up points.

However, their winning streak did not last long. The team lost to Mt. St. Vincent on Dec. 1. Although Sarah Lawrence gained mostly firsts and seconds at this meet as well, Mt. St. Vincent had more swimmers and, consequently could achieve more points.

“It’s really hard to compete against a team that’s much larger than our own,” said Head Coach Casey Quinn after being asked what she thought had led to the loss.

The team scored some of their best times at this meet as well. Sophomore Sara Leatherbarrow achieved a 102. 57 in her 100 freestyle and a 1:18.04 in the 100 IM, first year Amanda Davis got a 33.37 in the 50 backstroke and a 1:15.04 in the 100 backstroke, first year Abby Udden broke her old times in the 50 breaststroke, 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke with a 50.59, a 36.61 and a 1:51.48, respectively, and first year Catherine Griffin broke the school’s old record in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:21.64.
On Friday Dec. 7 the team battled the leaders of the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) In the 2007 HVWAC swimming championships held at the SLC pool. The top three teams in the conference competed in 14 different events in the three hour meet. Sarah Lawrence came out strong, and was in first place after three events. However, the larger SUNY Purchase and Mount St. Vincent teams overtook the lead from the nine-member SLC squad. Despite strong finishes in numerous events, the team finished the night in third place overall.

The team was pleased with the results of their short season. With no upperclassmen on the roster this year and the anticipated return of abraod juniors next season, the team is looking forward to returning to the water next fall to begin another successful season.