Ladies Swimming and Diving Readies for March

Led by their seniors, the Ladies swimming and diving team split up this weekend to compete in three separate meets in Ohio and Michigan.

The team divided on Friday, Jan. 20, with some swimmers heading to the two-day Oakland University Quad meet in Rochester, Mich., where they took third. The rest of the team first defeated the Ohio Northern University Polar Bears in a home meet on Friday and then took first place in the five-team Ohio Wesleyan University meet on Saturday.

The team was divided, the results were a group effort, according to Alisa Vereshchagin '12

"Although the team was competing at … separate meets this weekend, we all performed with the end of the season — Conference and Nationals — in mind," she said. "As we approach those meets, we trust that the training we have put in will allow us to be successful."

The first group of Ladies was victorious in all its events against the Ohio Northern University Polar Bears. Vereshchagin, who was named the North Coast Athletic Conference's female swimmer of the week and CollegeSwimming.com's Councilman Hunsaker national swimmer of the week, boasted three of the Ladies' event wins. Vereshchagin topped the scoreboard in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:09.63. She also finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.56 and swam with the victorious 200-yard medley relay team.

Fellow senior swimmers Meghan Quinn '12, Kellyn Caldwell '12, Kelly Wahl '12 and Dominique Chevalier '12 also helped the Ladies place first. Quinn topped the scoreboard in the 50-yard freestyle (24.45) and swam with Vereshchagin in the 200-yard medley relay. Caldwell and Wahl swam with Quinn in the 200-yard free relay but also swam successfully individually. Chevalier was victorious in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:14.37.

Jourdan Cline '15 and Hannah Cooper '15 also contributed to the victory. Cline swam for the winning relay teams, while Cooper swam for the 200-medley squad and topped the scoreboard in the 100-yard butterfly.

The same group took first place at the five-team Ohio Wesleyan University Invitational, winning 13 swimming events. Much of the victory is credited to the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay. Vereshchagin, Quinn, Cooper and Cline composed the winning relay teams. Vereshchagin and Cline also boasted first-place wins in the 100- and 200-yard breastroke and the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, respectively. Cooper successfully topped the scoreboard in the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes, while Quinn rounded out the event with a win in the 100-yard freestyle, also tying for first place in the 50-yard freestyle.

Chevalier and Dru Selden '14 swept the distance events. Chevalier won the 1000-yard freestyle and the 400-yard individual medley, while Selden was victorious in the 500-yard freestyle.

In Rochester, Mich., the rest of the Ladies finished third in the two-day Oakland University Quad meet. The Ladies finished with 290 points, behind the University of Cincinnati (563 points) and the host Oakland University (625 points). Three swimmers claimed top-five finishes: Hillary Yarosh '14, Anna Connolly '13 and Hannah Saiz '13.  Syd Lindblom '14 placed third in the 500-yard freestyle, while Rachel Flinn '14 and Nikki Kett '12 placed fourth in the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard breastroke, respectively. The duo also swam on the Ladies' 200-yard medley relay team.

Head Coach Jessen Book was positive about the full weekend, but also saw it as a learning experience.

"As the season rolls on, we want to strive to be better in our later meets, with better overall details," Book said. "This weekend, we were better, and we took additional steps towards the end that wxe now have in sight."

The Ladies are scheduled to take on fellow NCAC member Wittenberg University this Saturday, Jan. 28 at 1:00 p.m. at the Kenyon Aquatic Center.