Amherst began the meet with a solid 200-yard medley relay. Michelle McCreary '05, Jillian Wyrick '05, Mia Anderson '06 and Gretchen Sisson '06 placed first. Teammates Amy Adams '03, Bea Wallace '04, Hilary Stockbridge '05 and Courtney Davies '05 took second.
This auspicious start was followed by co-captain Morgan Bayer '03, Alexis Johnston '05 and Sarah Dobbs '04 handily sweeping the 1000-yard freestyle.
Amherst's quick start set the tone for an easy Jeff win. Katherine Massopust '05 commented, "We were expecting to beat Wesleyan, but were pretty pumped with just how well we swam Monday night."
Massopust, who won the 200-yard freestyle, added, "I would say a lot of the women's times are faster than where they were last year at this time."
Rebecca Stein '05 won both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. "Coming off a summer of training, I was very pleased with my first swims," she said. In the 100-yard freestyle, Stein led a sweep which she shared with Sisson and Davies.
"Personally, this is right where I want to be after the first meet," Wyrick said. She won the 200-yard individual medley as well as the 200-yard breastroke.
Divers Kathryn Shaw '05 and Kristin Boyd '05 also contributed to the Jeffs' strong showing. Shaw placed a close second in one-meter diving behind Cardinal Julia Himmelstein while Boyd took third.
Although Amherst only has two divers, Shaw pointed out that they are "a strong component of the team and can accumulate a lot of points." She said, "Many schools have strong swimming programs but weak divers, so in those cases our points are really valuable to the team."
Bayer continued her usual dominance by winning the 200-yard butterfly, the same event in which she is a two-time national champion.
The 200-yard freestyle relay ended the night on a positive note for the Jeffs. The team of Sisson, Chiang, Massopust and Stein placed a strong first. Davies, Dobbs, Wallace and Adams swam to a solid third place showing.
Co-captain Rory Miller '03, who swam her personal best times in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle, said, "I think everyone was excited about how much faster our times were as a whole than they usually are this early in the season."
Last night, Amherst scored a comfortable victory over Smith College. The highlight of the meet was the performance of Wyrick whose times in the 100 and 200-yard breastroke made the national B cut, which puts her in great position to participate in individual postseason events.
The women continue their season on Saturday when they travel to Middlebury College. The Panthers are a much stronger team than the Cardinals. However, the women are optimistic and prepared. "Training has been intense these first few weeks," said Stein. "But the hard work is sure to pay off down the road."