Swimmers were dynamite at Midd. Invite

Author: Jake Cohen

After a tough loss to Williams on Feb. 2, the Middlebury men's and women's swim teams rallied the troops and put on some top-notch performances at their invitational the following weekend. The meet was not a team event but a series of individual races. As such, it provided the Panthers the opportunity to mix up their lineup and allowed swimmers to swim different events than the norm as they prepared for the upcoming NESCAC championships.

"It is a great checkpoint," said Katie Remington '10. "It's similar to NESCACs because it's a bunch of different teams. It's a trial run."

For those swimmers already confident in their times, this weekend provided the chance to try new events - a move that was particularly fun for seniors. As a matter of fact, this weekend was dubbed Senior Day and commemorated four years of hard work from all 19 veterans.

The unquestioned peak performer of the weekend was Pam Chatikavanij '08, who won both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events.

"She has been swimming unbelievably well this year and did it again," said tri-captain Robbie Burton '08. "She swam incredibly."

First-year Emily MacDonald also improved on her times by winning the 100-yard fly. Other strong female performers were Sara Cowie '08, who won the 1,000-yard freestyle and Katie Soja '10 who took first place in the 200-yard butterfly.

The Panthers flaunted their team's depth by taking all the podium positions of the latter event, even without a performance from Ross, their best butterfly swimmer. Ross turned plenty of heads in the Williams meet the weekend before, when she made the NCAA "A" cut by over a quarter of a second and was a second off of her own NESCAC record.

Middlebury also crowned Catherine Suppan '09 the 200-yard breaststroke champion and Ross the queen of the 500-yard free - an event she rarely swims.

"The women are shooting for first in NESCACs and have the depth [to do it]," said Burton.

The men also swam well and saw a particularly good performance from Zach Woods '09. He won both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events, finishing with his best times of the season. Kevin O'Rourke '09 claimed top-place on the podium in the 500-yard freestyle event.

The men's 400-yard freestyle relay team set its fastest time of the year and enjoyed a particularly impressive leg from anchor Schuyler Beeman '10.

Now begins the period of tapering. It is a perennial swim tradition to slow the training regiment and rest in order to save up much-needed energy for the big final meet. Some swimmers have even started to shave their entire bodies.

"Everybody is going to rest and get psyched for the rest of the season," said Burton.

This meet marks the beginning of the end, which can be a sad time for some, but an exciting time for all. Watch for a solid finish from both the men's and women's teams at the NESCACs. The women travel to Wesleyan Feb. 22-24 to take on the field, while the men host the tournament at home on Feb. 29-March 2.