Women dominate weekend meets

The Jeffs began their meet with a strong start with the 1000-yard freestyle. Co-captain Morgan Bayer ’03 placed first, while Katie Massopust ’05 took third and co-captain Rory Miller ’03 finished fourth. Massopust and Miller posted season-best times.

Bayer, Mia Anderson ’06 and Ashley Simonsen ’04 swept the 200-yard butterfly. In 1m and 3m meter diving, Kate Shaw ’05 took first and Kristin Boyd ’05 took second with season-best scores. In a great race, Jill Wyrick ’05 took first in the 200-yard breaststroke.

M.I.T., now 7-3, had “some pretty fast girls, who gave us some good races. It was one of our better meets,” said Rebecca Stein ’05.

The swimmers returned to Amherst on Saturday evening, only to depart Sunday morning. Having back-to-back meets was tiring, but since Hartwick does not have a very competitive team, the Jeffs had the opportunity to swim events in which they don’t normally specialize. “It was a nice opportunity to have fun with the meet,” said Stein, “and to not feel too much pressure.”

Simonsen, who recently completed a semester abroad, won the 50-yard freestyle. Shaw and Boyd again placed first and second in both diving events. Michelle McCreary ’05 won the 200 backstroke in 2:12.71, coming within .2 seconds of breaking the pool record. Stockbridge won the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:30.76.

The team’s final home meet is Feb. 8 against Union College. It will be the last home meet for seniors Amy Adams, Bayer, and Miller. Miller looks forward to her last meet with sadness. “Swimming’s been the biggest part of my life at Amherst,” she said, “and I can’t imagine not competing.”