Middlebury in H2O was hard 2 outswim

Author: Allison Ortega

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams opened their season, as they hostedthe Middlebury Invitational on Nov. 18 in the Natatorium. Coach Peter Solomon used the event, normally held in February, to invite Keene State, Gordon State, St. Michael's and UMass-Dartmouth, teams that the Panthers would not otherwise face. The teams were invited as a warm-up for racing and to gauge times as his team heads into its NESCAC-heavy schedule.

The invitational consisted of mainly relay events, including some unconventional races like the 400-yard butterfly relay and the mixed 100-yard 4 x 25 freestyle relay for divers. Despite the uncommon set-up, both the Panthers' men's and women's teams were dominant, claiming victory in all 17 events.

The 500-yard freestyle was the one exception to the invitational's relay format. On the women's side, Sara Cowie '08, who set the pool record in the same event last year, cruised to victory in 5:14.81. First-year Katie Soja finished second behind Cowie, and Middlebury showed superior depth by claiming the top six places overall. Kevin O'Rourke '09 easily won the event for the men in 5:01.67 with a time nearly seven seconds faster than second-place finisher Kyle Uricchio of Keene State.

The Invitational served as a precursor to this weekend's highly anticipated dual meet with Amherst. Last year the Lord Jeffs narrowly defeated both the men's and women's teams during the regular season. The women, however, found redemption during the NESCAC Championships by edging Amherst to finish second overall. This season the swimmers expect another close match-up.

"Amherst has always been a swimming rival and this year isn't any different," said Whitney Thomas '07.5. "The meet against Amherst will show us the depth of our talent and preparation as a team and as individuals. As Coach Solomon likes to impress upon us, this meet will come down to the third and fourth place finishes."

With the strong start at the Middlebury Invitational, the Panther have already taken one step in the right direction towards having a successful season.

"It was a good way for the team to come together. Considering how fast we went in the first meet, it is a good indication of how strong the team is going to be this year," said Cowie.