Cornell women’s varsity swimming kicks back in to action with a double-duel meet against Ivy rivals Harvard and Dartmouth, this Saturday at 10 a.m.
After finishing sixth in the Ivy Championships last year, the team feels that it will be the combination of a strong freshman class and better sprinting that will move it up in the rankings.
“We have an improved freshman class that are excited for the opportunity to race. We are going in to the meet ready to race,” head coach Marrie Neumer said.
Freshmen Monika Fabriczi and Vicky Leuck are just two of the nine total freshman that joined the Red. Fabriczi will specialize in distance and in butterfly events, while Leuck will focus on distance freestyle.
“It’s very exciting to watch the new freshman, they are filling in most of our week spots, especially in distance butterfly and freestyle,” senior tri-captain Brooke Patterson said.
Neumer has increased the overall distance in practice and has instituted morning practices to further prepare the team for this weekends meets.
“Practices are a lot harder than before, but even though everyone is tired, we are still very talkative and positive,” Patterson said.
Three weeks ago at the Ithaca scrimmages, the Red handily defeated Ithaca College, winning almost every race it competed in throughout the exhibition.
Last year in Cambridge, against Harvard and Dartmouth, the Red lost to the Crimson, but defeated the Big Green. “In practice, we have been focussing on overall quality. We should be able to beat Dartmouth and have a much better showing against Harvard,” Neumer remarked.
The increased number of dual-meets, as well as the Penn State Invitational to close out the 2000 leg of the season, will better prepare the team for Ivy Championships at the end of February. But first it must get by the Crimson of Harvard, tomorrow at Teagle Hall.
Archived article by Josh Vlasto