Amherst hosted Colby (1-2) on Dec. 11, winning 169-117. The 400-yard medley relay team of Brittany Sasser '08, Jill Wyrick '05, Piper Pettersen '07 and Becca Stein '05 started off the meet with a pool record-breaking 3:57.75 win. Julie Kim '08, Natalie Dyer '07 and tri-captain Katie Massopust '05 swept the 1000-yard freestyle. Sasser broke the 100-yard backstroke pool record with her 58.36 victory. In the 200-yard butterfly, Jasmina Cheung-Lau '07 and Jennifer Lewkowitz '08 took first and second, respectively. Tri-captain Liz Chiang '05 sprinted to a 50-yard freestyle win, and the senior diving duo of Kate Shaw and Kristin Boyd took first and second, respectively, in the one-meter. Sasser shattered another pool record in the 200-yard backstroke, while Lewkowitz and Stein finished one-two, respectively, in the 500-yard freestyle. Pettersen won a close 100-yard butterfly race, defeating last year's NCAA Div. III second-place finisher.
Amherst opened the new year with a 141-86 win over Union (0-2) on Jan. 3. Cheung-Lau captured first and Massopust second in the 1000-yard freestyle while Sasser, Massopust and Alexis Johnston '05 swept the 200-yard freestyle, finishing one-two-three, respectively. Lewkowitz and Kim finished first and second, respectively, in the 200-yard individual medley, and Shaw dove to a win in the one-meter. Pettersen and Margaret Ramsey '07 swam to a one-two finish in the 200-yard butterfly; Sasser and Kim did likewise in the 100-yard freestyle. Senior tri-captain Michelle McCreary, Dyer and Chiang swept the 200-yard backstroke, and Stein, Lewkowitz and Cheung-Lau did the same in the 500-yard freestyle.
The most anticipated dual meet of the season came on Jan. 8 at Williams (2-0). The Jeffs won half of the events, but the Ephs had greater depth and won, 155.5-141.5, to re-
claim the Little Three title that
Amherst held last season.
Stein won the 200-yard freestyle and Sasser darted to a 100-yard backstroke win. Cheung-Lau swam a fast second-place 200-yard butterfly, and Shaw took first in one-meter diving. Stein and Chiang sprinted to an impressive one-two finish in the 100-yard freestyle, while Sasser shattered her own 200-yard backstroke Amherst record. Kim won the 500-yard freestyle, and Sasser earned a provisional nationals qualification by swimming the 200-yard individual medley.
Chiang and Kim swam the first two legs of the 400-yard freestyle relay before Ramsey pulled Amherst ahead of Williams, and Stein swam a 52.19 anchor leg to end the meet on a winning note. "Williams thought they could take us on that relay so it was fun to beat them," said Massopust.
After Williams, the team left for their grueling but enjoyable 10-day training trip in Puerto Rico. "The hard work we put into the training trip became evident at the Hamilton meet," said Chiang. The women easily swam away with a 145-90 win at the seniors' last home meet on Jan. 22 against the Hamilton Continentals.
The talented senior class shone throughout the meet, starting with Johnston, Massopust and McCreary sweeping the 1000-yard freestyle. Stein and Chiang finished first and second in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events. Hilary Stockbridge '05 and Wyrick finished first and second, respectively, in the 200-yard individual medley, both pulling past a Hamilton swimmer in the second half of the race.
The underclassmen also posted tremendous results. Ramsey won the 200- and 500-yard freestyle, and Cheung-Lau earned a provisional nationals qualification in the 200-yard butterfly. Sasser broke her own pool record in the 200-yard backstroke. McCreary noted that Sasser, Lewkowitz and Kim have continued to impress with their talent and versatility.
In their respective one-two finishes, both Pettersen and Stockbridge swam provisional nationals qualifications in the 200-yard breaststroke. The meet closed with the 800-yard freestyle relay, in which Sasser, Ramsey, Kim and Massopust shattered the pool record by 8.5 seconds.
"It was especially sweet to see many of the seniors perform so well in their final competitions in Pratt Pool," said McCreary. "It was awesome to see each of them reap the rewards of their daily persistence in practice at the last home meet of their careers."
The women will resume competition in their next meet which will be against Connecticut College and host MIT Saturday at 1 p.m.