Suppan '09 leads swim team to 4th

Author: Molly West

There was no sign of fatigue among the Panther swimmers this weekend in the NESCAC Championships at Bowdoin. The swimmers took to the pool with confidence and poise and finished in fourth place. The team collected 1,047 points, falling just behind Tufts, which took third place with 1145 points. Williams and Amherst took first and second place, respectively.

The meet was particularly special for the senior class, as it was the first NESCAC appearance for seniors Mary Roberts, Meg Whitaker, Susan Read and Bobbi Heidbreder. The excitement of the meet motivated many Panthers to break personal and school records. Kelsey Allen '12 swam her strongest meet yet at Middlebury, dropping several seconds from her backstroke times. Emily McDonald '11 seized the 50-yard freestyle, breaking the school record with a time of 23.92. She also impressively swam into second place in the 50-yard freestyle, breaking another school record.

Tri-captain Catherine Suppan '09 also amassed points for the team with a second-place finish and a school record in the 100-yard breaststroke and a third-place finish in the 50-yard backstroke. Jessie Ward '12 also had a strong performance, placing third in the 100-yard breaststroke. Rookie diver Meagan Collins had a superb first NESCAC showing by placing fourth in the one-meter and third in the three-meter dives. Katie Soja '10 took fourth place in the 1,000-meter freestyle. Not only were there numerous individual accomplishments throughout the meet, but the relay teams also competed strongly.

The 200-yard freestyle relay team finished in third place, as did the 400-yard freestyle relay team. Most impressively, the 200-yard medley relay team swam into second place and created a new school record with a time of 1:46.27. The team will represent Middlebury College at the Division III NCAA Championships in four weeks.

"The team really came together, and could not have asked for a better championship meet," said Suppan. The team finished the regular season with a record of 5 and 4, but could not be happier with their final showing.

"The meet went better than anyone could have expected or hoped," said Suppan. "Almost everyone got personal bests in almost all of their events, and the girls' attitudes were positive the whole meet."

A handful of Middlebury Swimmers will compete at the Division III National Championships in a month.