Panthers ride early season waves Injury-ridden men's squad fall to Jeffs on second road-trip

Author: George Mayer

The Middlebury men's swimming and diving team got back in the water on Saturday to take on the Lord Jeffs of Amherst in Amherst, Mass. Although the squad had several weeks to prepare since its recent competitions against Connecticut College and Tufts on Nov. 19, the Panthers fell to the Jeffs 136-95.

Unfortunately, the team experienced some bad luck and was missing several key members who could have played a strong role in changing the outcome.

Prior to Saturday's meet, Tripp Burwell '09 came down with an unexpected sickness and could not help the Panthers' cause. Meanwhile, the squad found out that Dan Vogel '06 could need surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season. Last year's national qualifier in the 100 meter fly, Rob Collier '07, is still studying abroad and was also severely missed by the team.

Considering all these absences, the team knew that a victory was doubtful. "We knew going in that we weren't expected to beat them," said Co-captain Alex Demas '06. "Once we get more guys back in the water we should be able to bring back the attitude of last year."

Despite the fact that the final team score was not in the Panther's favor on Saturday, there were still some standout individual performances.

Senior Tristram Arscott '06 won both the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions with scores of 240.45 and 224.47, respectively. Arscott's score in the three-meter diving competition could very possibly qualify him for nationals later in the season. Zach Woods '09 also performed very well, tallying a second place finish in the 200 meter individual medley.

Meanwhile, the Panther's 400m freestyle relay team of Jon Rayburn '07, Guillermo Garcia '08, Jake Pepper '08 and Robbie Burton '08 contributed a second place finish. Peter Bell '08 fought through adversity in the 200 meter breaststroke and received a second place finish as well, despite battling a recently sprained ankle.

The Panthers return back to their home pool this coming Saturday when they will host Springfield College. The members of the squad hope to perform well so they will be able to carry some momentum into the difficult J-Term stretch that lies ahead of them. Unfortunately, they will be without Garcia, who is currently treating a broken finger.

The team still believes that it can rally together, despite the numerous injuries and sicknesses key members are experiencing, and come out with a victory on Saturday.

As Demas states, "We definitely need to get some key guys back in the pool. However, we certainly have a solid chance of coming out on top against Springfield."