Women
The women swept most of the events, though the score was deceptively close; because the Jeffs were winning by so much, they began an exhibition, meaning Amherst did not take points but had already won the race about halfway through the meet. "Colby was a great season opener," co-captain Piper Pettersen '07 remarked. "Our 200-meter medley relay of Brittany Sasser '08, Margaret Ramsey '07, Meaghan Stearn '09 is a fine example of the depth of our team."
After the win against Colby, Amherst took on its next opponent, Wesleyan. The women ousted their opponents easily, finishing first in 10 of the 15 events. Junior Lisa Pritchard starting things off, finishing first in the 50-yard backstroke and earning nine points for the team. Sophomore Alex Lee placed second in the event, adding even more points to the team's tally. The rest of the Amherst women followed suit and they won the meet 144-112.
With many promising first-years and strong returning upperclassmen, the Jeffs are confident that this season will be successful. "It is amazing to look at the scoreboard and watch our women take first, second and third place in multiple events," said junior Birttany Sasser. "It really speaks for the strength of the team as a whole and can be attributed to all of the hard work we have already done in the pool."
"After two great season openers, we now have concrete evidence that our training is paying off big," commented Petterson."
Men
The men's team won decisively as well. With an impressive 159-116 victory over the Cardinals, the Jeffs showed that they are already in mid-season form. In the 50-meter breaststroke, senior John Ancona won the event to start off the meet on the right note. Ancona knocked out Wesleyan's Jeff Stein by only 0.16 of a second. Soon after, junior Andrew Maslan dominated the 50-meter Butterfly, giving the squad more confidence.
The diving team showed its skill against Wesleyan as well. Amherst sophomore Sabrina Dorman captured the one-meter women's crown and junior Connor Boyd took first place in the three-meter event with a score of 237.08. Adding to the team's success was junior Adam Bookman who finished with a pair of third-place finishes in the meet.
NESCAC Notes
The Williams College men and women both lost their season opener.