Ross '08 was LaForce at NESCACs

Author: Jake Cohen

The Middlebury swim team sent its women's contigent to Wesleyan University this past weekend to compete in the 2008 NESCAC championships. There, the women continued their late-season success by placing second in what was one of the tightest races in the conference history.

Although Williams won its eighth consecutive league title, Middlebury topped Amherst in a breathtaking meet that came down to the last event of the entire competition, the 400-yard freestyle relay.

During the event, eight Middlebury records were set, three of which were also Wesleyan pool records.

Marika Ross '08 and diver Alanna Hanson '08 were honored as the Senior High Point Winners, an award that recognizes them as the strongest overall competitors in the conference in their combined four years of competition.

Ross won every individual event she swam in - the 50-yard (25.76 seconds), 100-yard (56.08 seconds) and 200-yard (2:02.23 seconds) butterfly - for the fourth year in a row.

"These girls have consistently been strong-holds for our team," said men's tri-captain Robbie Burton '08. "They deserve this recognition for all the hard work and success they have enjoyed in their careers here."

Leaving Wesleyan on Sunday evening was an emotional time for the women's team. Tear-ridden cheeks filled every window as the bus slowly left the parking lot for the last time with this group.

Thirteen seniors will graduate this spring, more than at any other NESCAC school, leaving the team with a huge void of leadership and experience. Nevertheless, the younger Panthers are ready to rise to the challenge.

"It's going to be really hard without the seniors," said Annie Friedlander '11. "They are such a big part of the team. We'll miss them, but they have taught us how to lead a successful team and we are ready to take on the challenge."

Friedlander's classmate Emily MacDonald '11 emphasized that point in her performance this weekend. She swam in four relay events, contributing to a first, third and two second-place finishes. She also placed second in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle, where she set a school record with a time of 52.04 seconds, shattering the previously held time by .45 seconds.

The swimmers who qualified for the NCAA finals head out to Oxford, Ohio on March 20 to compete against the best swimmers in the country and continue Middlebury's success this year.