Williams Wins Third-Straight Women's Swimming & Diving Championship

Courtesy Bowdoin Sports Information

Meet Results  Friday, Feb. 21:  Trials - Finals  Saturday, Feb. 22: Trials - Finals  Sunday, Feb. 23: Trials - Finals  Diving Results: 1 meter  - 3 meter    Complete Results  Team Scores - Top 24 Individual Scores   Meet Records

BRUNSWICK, Maine - Williams College repeated as champions and swept the meet awards on Sunday at the NESCAC Women's Swimming and Diving Championships hosted by Bowdoin  College. The Ephs totaled 1830.5 points in the three-day event, defeating second place Middlebury (1,448.0) and third place Amherst (1,210.5).

Williams sophomore Lindsay Payne earned Swimmer of the Meet honors after setting three NESCAC records over the weekend. Payne led NESCAC record-breakers, shattering a mark on each day of the competition. On the final day of the meet, she took the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:17.27 following her conference record times in the 50-yard breaststroke (29.32) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.20) in earlier competition. In addition to setting conference marks, Payne also bettered the current national meet record times in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke.

Teammate Caroline Crocker won both the 1-meter (381.80) and 3-meter (457.60) diving competitions on her way to being named Diver of the Meet. With her two victories, Crocker secured the Four-Year High Point Diver award. Williams senior Zibby Stokes, part of two record setting relay squads, earned the Four-Year High Point Swimmer award. The Williams coaching tandem of Steve Kuster and Kit Koch earned Swimming and Diving Coaches of the Meet.

Williams won all five relay events on the weekend winning the 200-yard medley relay in a conference record time of 1:45.64 and setting NESCAC championship meet records in the 400-yard medley (3:51.51) and 800-yard freestyle relay (7:44.46). Williams was also victorious in the in the 200-yard (1:35.89) and 400-yard (3:32.04) freestyle relay events.

Amherst's Jill Wyrick broke a 20-year old conference record in the 100-yard IM with a time of 59.57, while Bates' Vanessa Williamson picked up a championship mark in the 200-yard fly (2:04.54). Meet records were set by Meghan Faughnan of Williams who took the 200-yard backstroke in 2:05.53 and Amherst's Morgan Bayer in the 1,000-yard free (10:29.4).

Several swimmers won multiple events including two who broke championship meet marks. Colby's Laura Miller set a NESCAC championship meet record in the 100-yard fly (57.19) and picked up a victory in the 50-yard butterfly, finishing in 25.75.Miller set a conference mark of 25.74 in the 50-yard butterfly during preliminaries.

Connecticut College's Kate Kovenock won three events, posting a record setting time of 1:53.14 in the 200-yard free final. Kovenock, who also won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races in times of 23.90 and 52.00, tied a championship mark in the 50- (23.79) and set a meet record in the 100-yard event (51.80) during the preliminaries.

Middlebury’s Sarah Groff and Mika Sumiyoshi of Tufts were also multiple event winners. Groff, a junior distance swimmer, won the 500- (5:01.7) and 1650-yard (17:26.40) freestyle events. Sumiyoshi was victorious in the 200-yard IM (2:08.09) and 400-yard IM (4:32.62).

Other winners on the weekend were Williams' Jessica Yankura in the 100-yard back (59.07) and Amherst's Liz Chiang in the 50-yard backstroke (27.90)