"Going into the meet, we were excited to lay down some fast swims and prove that we were once again one of the best teams in the NESCAC," said tri-captain Adam Lewkowitz '06.
The Jeffs started the weekend off strong with a solid third-place 200-yard freestyle relay team of senior tri-captain Rick Estacio, junior Adam Kaplan and first-years Chris Resler and Joe Scala. Williams and Tufts set the pace, finishing first and second, respectively.
As the individual events commenced, the Jeffs showed their strength with notable top performances. John Ancona '07 took the top time in the 50-yard breaststroke in a tough race to the finish; he touched in with a time of 27.08 seconds while Williams' Tyler Bonewell '09 finished in 27.09 seconds. Ancona's teammate Derek Prill '08 followed closely in third place with a time of 27.18 seconds.
In the 500-yard freestyle, Ed Hagerty '07 and first-year CJ Holmes finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively, earning the Jeffs a combined 49 points.
Estacio, the team's top backstroker, took first in the 50-yard event, well ahead of his competition. His time of 23.53 broke both the pool and the meet records. First-year Mike Waskom finished in seventh-place.
Ethan Treat '07 faced Williams' top swimmer-senior Will Cunningham-in the 200-yard individual medley. In a close race, Treat took second behind Cunningham, and finished with a National-B qualifying time.
In the fastest race of the meet-the 50-yard freestyle-Resler tied with Williams senior Zack Orjuela for fourth place with a time of 21.50 seconds.
Before the end of the night, sophomore Connor Boyd stepped onto the diving board for his first competition of the weekend. In the one-meter event, he finished in third place.
The first day of competition ended with the 400-yard medley relay, in which the Jeffs squad of Ancona, Estacio, Resler and Treat took second place with a National-B qualifying time. At the conclusion of the day's events, the Amherst men trailed Williams and Tufts.
The Jeffs began Saturday's competition with another strong relay start. In the 200-yard medley relay, Ancona, Estacio, Holmes and Scala finished in second place behind the Ephs and ahead of the Jumbos; the men also registered a National-B qualifying time.
Treat followed that with a phenomenal race in the 400-yard individual medley. His time of 3:58.34-more than eight seconds ahead of the second-place time-set new NESCAC, pool and meet records, and also provided Treat with a National-A qualifying time. Sophomore Andrew Maslan also registered a National-B qualifying time with his fourth-place finish, while Hagerty followed in fifth-place.
The Jeffs once again showed their strength in the breaststroke when Ancona finished in first in the 100-yard event, and Prill touched third. Lewkowitz took seventh place in the 1,000-yard freestyle, while Holmes finished in eighth in the 100-yard butterfly.
Estacio met Cunningham in the 100-yard backstroke, and took second place with a National-A qualifying time. His time of 52.43 ranks third in the country for Div. III. In the same event, Waskom took another solid seventh-place in his first NESCAC Championship meet.
"Waskom swam faster than I ever expected," said Estacio. "I didn't get to watch him because he was always swimming in my event, but his times were impressive and I am confident he will do great things in the years to come."
The Jeffs finished day two with a third-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a squad of Hagerty, Lewkowitz, Maslan and Treat. At the end of the day, the Jeffs remained less than 100 points behind Tufts.
On the final day of competition, Estacio and Andrew Vasta '08 took second and eighth, respectively, in the 200-yard backstroke. Estacio's finish of 1:52.16 is a National-B qualifying time.
Once again, Amherst showed its breaststroke skills, this time in the 200-yard event. Ancona finished in second-place with a National-B qualifying time while Prill and Hagerty took fifth and sixth place, respectively, earning a total of 77 points for the Jeffs. Treat and Holmes also earned the team big points with their third- and sixth-place finishes in the 200-yard butterfly.
Boyd stepped up to the diving board for his final dives of the weekend: the three-meter event. He finished in third-place, again behind Salmon and Nolen, ending the weekend with two personal-best finishes.
"Connor Boyd's diving was the best I've ever seen and he finally seemed to be relaxed and enjoying himself," said Estacio. "I was glad to see him dive so well with his family in the stands."
The meet concluded with the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team of Estacio, Hagerty, Scala and Treat stepped up, and finished with a third-place time. After the race, however, judges disqualified the Jeffs for a false start.
All in all, it was a great weekend for Amherst. "We exceeded our high expectations at the meet because every one of us had at least one great swim," said tri-captain Tommy Gonnella '06.
The Jeffs finished the weekend in third place with a total of 1,354 points. Williams took first and Tufts finished in second. Ancona tied for third place for most individual points scored at the meet with 92. Estacio followed in fifth with 88, Treat tied for sixth with 87 and Prill and Hagerty finished in 17th and 22nd, respectively. With a third-place team finish and five swimmers in the top-24 individual spots, the Jeffs had plenty to be proud of.
"I was very impressed and proud of our three injured newcomer's performances: Maslan, who overcame a midseason injury to swim two lifetime best times; Holmes, who finished in the top-eight in every event he swam despite being hospitalized with mono; and Christian Witzke '09, who stepped up big on relays even though recovering from major heart surgery in December thwarted his practice capabilities," said Lewkowitz.
"The most important aspect of the season was establishing the confidence that we are one of the elite teams in our league," added Gonnella. "The future looks bright for Amherst swimming with a strong junior class and a plethora of young talent. I expect our team to do great things next season, and to challenge Williams in both our dual meet and at the NESCAC Championships."
Estacio and Treat will continue their seasons when they compete at the NCAA Div. III National Championships. Estacio will swim the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events, as well as the 200-yard individual medley. Treat is also swimming the 200-yard individual medley, as well as the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard butterfly. The competition will be held in Minnesota from March 16-18.