For Immediate Release
January 23, 2009
Wellesley Sports Information
Courtesy MHC Sports Information
Wellesley College Swimming & Diving Holds Lead at Seven Sisters
Complete Day One Results
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Twelve-time defending champion Wellesley College leads the field after one day of competition at the 2010 Seven Sisters Swimming and Diving Championship. The Blue used their depth to pile up 745 points. They will enter the second and final day of the competition with a comfortable lead over second place Smith College (476). Rounding out the five team field are host Mount Holyoke College (445), Vassar College (431) and Bryn Mawr College (341).
Wellesley got things going in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:32.74), where Savanna Johnson (Bloomington, IN), Whitney Smith (Detroit, MI), Carolyn Jackson (Leesburg, VA) and Dana Dutton (Anacortes, WA) edged out Mount Holyoke’s quartet of Joan Burton (Grosse Pointe, MI), Lydia Bowers (Scotland, CT), Nora Cunningham (Bronx, NY) and Lindsay Schonborn (Orinda, CA) (1:43.38).
Vassar’s Shannon Sara (Queensbury, NY) cruised to a victory in the 500-yard freestyle (5:19.93), finishing almost six seconds in front of Bryn Mawr’s Cea Weaver (Rochester, N.Y./School of the Arts) (5:25.91). Emilie Mitten (Norwalk, CT) of Wellesley secured third place (5:33.07).
The Brewers picked up their second triumph of the day in the 200-yard individual medley (2:16.42), where Caroline Shannon (Scarsdale, NY) finished just in front of Lily Seidman (Westfield, IN) (2:17.49) of Smith. Mount Holyoke’s Schonborn rounded out the top three (2:20.74).
Meredith Davis (Charleston, WV) of Bryn Mawr touched the wall first in the 50-yard freestyle (25.64), narrowly defeating Wellesley’s Johnson (25.72) and Dutton (25.96).
The Blue then put the finishing touches on the opening session of the weekend with a victory in the 400-yard medley relay (4:18.80). Making up the squad were Jackson, Johnson, Katherine Foley (Orono, ME) and Virginia Hung (Plainsboro, NJ). Seidman combined with Michelle Mai (Paris, France), Ariel Orr (Richmond, VA) and Christine Dzialo (Belchertown, MA) to give Smith a second place result (4:19.34).
Vassar jumped up in the standings with a strong showing in the one meter diving competition. Christie Musket (Belmont, MA) took home top honors (340.95), while teammate Carolyn McLean (Santa Ana, CA) earned third place (296.35). The duo sandwiched Smith’s Isabelle Harper (South Deerfield, MA), who claimed second place (320.45).
The Brewers carried momentum into the second swimming session, where they recorded top times in each of the first two events.
Sara, Shannon, Megan McCarthy (Wilton, CT) and Jordana Jantze (Riverside, IL) combined for a win in the 200-yard medley relay (1:57.06). They finished just in front of Mount Holyoke’s foursome of junior Michelle Kroll (Easthampton, MA), Schonborn, Burton and Bowers (1:57.85).
Sara continued to roll in the 400-yard individual medley (4:45.28). She was followed by fellow Brewer Shannon (4:49.61) and Wellesley’s Hilary Gram (Hopkinton, MA.) (4:57.58).
Bryn Mawr’s Davis notched her second win of the day in the 100-yard butterfly (1:00.10). Smith’s Seidman (1:01.68) and Wellesley’s Hung (1:01.69) rounded out the top three.
Wellesley’s Dutton secured first place in the 200-yard freestyle (2:02.00), finishing just in front of Bryn Mawr’s Weaver (2:03.29) and teammate Mitten (2:04.34).
Vassar’s Shannon recorded her third win of the day in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:10.70), where she slipped past Wellesley’s Jackson (1:11.10) and Mount Holyoke’s Schonborn (1:11.69).
Smith closed out day one with their first two victories of the weekend. Seidman notched the first in the 100-yard backstroke (1:03.79), finishing ahead of Vassar’s Sara and teammate Alexandra Page (Brookline, MA) (1:05.77).
The Pioneers then closed out the afternoon with a first place showing in the 800-yard freestyle relay (8:20.45). Their team consisted on Emma Reim (Ledyard, CT), Mackenzie Bradley (Sherwood, OR), Dzialo and Seidman. Hung, Smith, Mitten and Dutton of Wellesley took second (8:26.04).
The Championship will conclude with seven more events tomorrow beginning at 10:00 a.m.