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Volume CXXXII, Number 11 |
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Swimmers and divers get thier feet wet in 2002-2003 season
ALISON BENTON
STAFF WRITER
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| Gasp! This Polar Bear surfaces for air. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
Already in their fifth week of grueling training, the Bowdoin Swimming and Diving Teams are off to a great start. In a double meet against MIT and Babson on Saturday, November 23, both the men and women's team beat Babson with a strong showing against the Beavers. Two days later, they came back to strut their stuff against a Division I school, Yale.
Bowdoin swimmers have high expectations for this season, as many returning upperclassmen move towards best times and share their expertise with a strong incoming class of first years.
Senior co-captain Kara Podkaminer said, "though several people swam new events, they worked really hard and practiced all the new skills we have been learning over the past few weeks. [Everyone] showed great poise and attitude as they confidently went up against other swimmers and teams who may have been practicing more. We can't wait to see what the rest of the season will bring."
Sophomore Nicole Goyette has showed that practice is paying off, winning the 50- and 100-meter backstroke against Babson and MIT, and beating a Yale swimmer in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:19.55.
First-years Michelle Filteau and Erin Turban also both beat Yale swimmers in the 200-meter individual medley. Against Babson and MIT, Filteau won the same event in 2:22.44 and placed second with a time of 2:04 in the 200-meter free, while Turban took first in the 100 fly with a 1:03:55.
Bowdoin showed its domination of the sprint events, with senior Anna Podore and sophomore Emma Leonard both beating Yale swimmers with times of 27:04 and 27:20 in the 50-meter free.
On the men's side, junior Mike Long beat Yale swimmers with a time of 22:23 as did Carter Thomas '06, who clocked in at 23:10. Long also came in first against Babson and MIT in the 50-meter free and second in the 100 free.
Team distance has increased their numbers this year and their extra hard training has brought impressive personal successes. Senior co-captain Will Thomas and first-year Edgar Pabone pulled through in the 1000- and 500-meter freestyle events to earn important points for the men's team. For the women, junior Alex de Rubira, sophomore Laura Welsh, and senior Meredith Hoar are already close to their past seasons' best times, and Welsh dropped time despite swimming the 1000 twice in three days.
On the men's team, first-year Roger Burleigh has swept the butterfly events, winning the 200 against Babson and MIT and beating a Yale swimmer in the same event with a 1:58:71, already close to his personal best of past seasons.
On both the men's and women's diving team, Bowdoin is happy to see a strong turn-out of new members. First-year Tori Tudor came in first on both the one and three meter boards against MIT and Babson. Sophomore Dee Engen came in third against Babson on the one meter.
For the men, junior Darryl Bernstein came in first on the one-meter and second on the three meter. Their skills scared all the Yale divers clear out of the pool to U-Maine.
After another week of tough training, the Bears are looking forward to their meet this weekend against Tufts on Saturday. "Let's just hope they don't get electrocuted from all those Christmas lights [hanging near the pool]," said de Rubira.
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