Because it was the final dual meet of the season, the team honored its seniors: co-captain Mia Anderson and Gretchen Sisson. Anderson primarily swims butterfly while Sisson is a sprinter in freestyle and butterfly events. Their teammates agree, however, that the seniors' contributions have gone far beyond points at meets. "I feel so lucky to have been Anderson's co-captain. She is so fun-loving and sincere and we've really balanced each other out well, I think," said junior co-captain Margaret Ramsey. "Mia has really rededicated herself to the sport of swimming this year after missing half the season last year while abroad, and it's been remarkable."
Anderson is thankful for her renewed love for swimming. "It invokes a sense of pride that I found something other than times and personal success to make an exhausting sport enjoyable-mainly my teammates and coach," she said.
Ramsey added, "[Anderson is] a consistent reminder that swimming is supposed to be fun. I really strive to be like her because she's such a wonderful leader. Mia is definitely one of a kind and she'll be missed."
Ramsey praised Sisson for her team-oriented attitude. "She is unfailingly excited about doing 'team' things and I definitely look to her as an example," she said.
"Gretchen is a great teammate because of how much she truly cares about every girl on the team," added Lisa Pritchard '08. "She cheers for every race and makes a point of getting to know every person on the team and making sure they all feel like they belong. No one cares about the team more than Gretchen."
In a sport measured by individual performances, Sisson's motto is undoubtedly "Team First." "As the women's 'team mom,' Gretchen has shown immense support for her teammates both in and out of the pool. She is a selfless swimmer, and often gets more emotional and excited about her teammates' swims than her own," said Lisa Rubinger '07. "She knows almost everyone's season-best times and career bests off the top of her head." Added Anderson, "I couldn't imagine going through the years with someone who doesn't portray Gretchen's selfless leadership."
It is only fitting that the two seniors ended their regular season careers with a team win. The meet started on a winning note as Amherst's 400-yard medley relays took the top-two places. Brittany Sasser '08, Piper Pettersen '07, Ramsey and Mary Marvel '09 won in 3:59.71, dominating the race. Pritchard, Jackie de la Fuente '09, Julie Kim '08 and Erin Morrison '09 took second.
First-year Kara MacLaverty took second place in the grueling 1,000-yard freestyle. "She's shone lately in the distance events and [Head Coach Nick Nichols] switched her into the 1,000 Saturday morning before the meet," said Ramsey. "That's a hard event and usually takes a bit of mental self-pep talking beforehand, but Kara stepped up and had an exceptionally good swim.'
First-year Meaghan Stern and Ramsey took first and second in the 200-yard freestyle, respectively, and Marvel won the 50-yard freestyle in a speedy 24.79 seconds. Amherst then dominated the 200-yard individual medley: Sasser, Kim and Margaret Tato '09 swept the event. Jasmina Cheung-Lau took second in the 200-yard butterfly.
Stern won her second event of the afternoon, the 100-yard freestyle, with Pritchard right behind her. Sasser also had another win in the 200-yard backstroke. Kim found victory in the 500-yard freestyle, improving her time yet again. Anderson and Sisson also swam the distance event, both cutting time as well. "Though usually a sprinter, [Sisson] surprised everyone at the Springfield meet by swimming the 500 freestyle on a whim and going a best time by four seconds," said Rubinger.
Diver Sabrina Dorman '09 took third in the 3-meter against tough competition, while Pettersen was second in the 200-yard breaststroke. The meet ended with a Jeff victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay as Marvel, Pritchard, Morrison and Stern sprinted to victory.
While the end of the regular season marks an era's end for the two seniors, the team outlook is far from bleak, and in some ways the season is just heating up.
"It has been a pleasure to captain the team, and I feel honored that I can be called a leader of such an incredible group of women," said Anderson. "I'm excited for the future of the Amherst swimming program: The potential in the younger swimmers has yet to be tapped."
"It is bittersweet to have swum my last race in Pratt Pool, and to be approaching the end of my 12-year swimming career," said Sisson. "I am so pleased to be able to finish my career with this team, and I'm excited to see them swim at Bowdoin [College] in two weeks."
The women will now prepare for NESCAC Championships, Feb. 17-19 at Bowdoin. Hopes are high for the young, talented team. "Nationals is always wonderful and very exciting, but I really think that NESCACs is the highlight of our season," said Ramsey. "It's so great to be with the entire team for a weekend knowing that you've put in the work and you've done all you can. It's going to be a great meet."
NESCAC Notes
The top NESCAC teams heading into the conference championship are Williams (6-1), Amherst (7-2) and Middlebury (7-2) Colleges.