Abby Bergman ‘18
Contributing Writer
The Smith College Swimming and Diving team travelled to Worcester, Massachusetts last Friday to compete in a triple dual meet with Babson College, Brandeis University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
This meet was different from the usual dual meet because it has four teams but is scored like a dual. In other words, rather than ranking the teams all together, the meet scores Smith vs. Babson, Smith vs. WPI, Smith vs. Brandeis and so on. The Smith team went into this meet following a strong month of training and came away with a win against Babson 188-96 but fell to WPI 121-168 and Brandeis 118-176.
On the swimming side, Smith placed in the top four in six events, demonstrating their potential to score high later in the season. Charlotte Crandall ’21 placed fourth in both the 200 Freestyle in 2:06.47 and 200 Backstroke in 2:19.24.
Desi Stoyanova ’19 clinched a win in the 400 IM in 4:57.92 and placed second in the 200 Butterfly in 2:20.49. Also in the 200 Butterfly the author swam 2:22.91 to round out the top three.
Jenny Huo had a strong 100 Butterfly, placing second in 1:02.75. The 200 freestyle relay of Maddy Meadows-McDonnell ’18, Paula Torr-Nieto ’21, Nell Tarno ’21 and Jenny Huo ’20 finished the meet strong with a time of 1:48.06.
This was the first away meet for the Smith team and presented new challenges and triumphs.
“My first swim meet was an unbelievable experience that I enjoyed beyond words,” said Caleigh Johnson ’21. “While I was nervous at the start, the team helped calmed my nerves and really supported me in every race. The sense of community and family I felt really helped me get through the meet. Overall I had an amazing first meet and feel that the team worked really hard. I love this team and am so happy to be swimming for Smith.”
As usual, the Smith divers dominated on the boards and took the top three places in both events. Elly Stone ’18 was victorious on the one meter followed by Abigail Hanna ’20 in second and Shoshanna Werblow ’20 in third.
On the three meter Hanna took the top stop followed by Stone in second and Werblow in third. The first-year divers also had an impressive showing, with Lauren Low ’21 competing in her first away meet.
“As a first year, I was pretty nervous for this meet initially, especially since it was away from home,” said Low. “But after a team-bonding movie on the bus and all around enthusiasm from teammates and coaches, I was sure that there was no reason to have butterflies.”
The Smith team hopes to use this meet as a springboard to success in the rest of the season.
“I was impressed by how the team handled themselves, it was a big meet with some great competition instead of being overwhelmed or intimidated they stepped up and brought a lot of energy,” said Head Coach Zachary Kundel.
“We were by far the most energetic team on deck and were having the most fun, which will always be one of my goals,” Kundel said. “In terms of performance, I think we are right where we need to be. Friday was our first big test, and it showed our immense potential. I’m confident if we continue to work hard in practice and learn from each race/dive, the sky is the limit.”
The Smith Swimming and Diving team returns to competition next Saturday at 1 p.m. against Westfield State University at home.
