Men and Women’s Swimming Split Ivy League Dual Meets

The men’s and women’s swimming teams both split their season opening dual meets, beating Dartmouth and falling short of Harvard.
For the men’s team, the scores revealed a large margin between Cornell and Dartmouth (228-70), but the disparity between the Red and the Crimson was minimal (161-139).
“What made this meet and others like it so exciting and memorable was the fact that crucial races came down to the last stroke; this began early when the relay of Nick Campbell, Wes Newman, Brad Gorter and I won the 200 Medley Relay by .27 over Harvard, setting a new pool record,” said junior Phil Baity. “Then, two events later, Wes Newman won the 200 freestyle in 1:40.41, edging out Harvard by .08 seconds. Wes continued by winning the 100 freestyle in 46.08 to beat Harvard’s Pat Quinn by .02, and the 100 fly in 49.75 to win his most decisive victory by a margin of .84.”
Phil Baity had an impressive meet as he swept the backstroke events with a 50.91 in the 100 back, and 1:50:81 in the 200 back. Senior tri-captain Brad Gorter placed second in the 50 free with a 21.30 and a tight .07 margin and with a time of 59.17, sophomore Nick Campbell placed second in the 100 breast.
Freshman Dean Holcomb’s performance impressed both his teammates and the competitors as he overtook the lead in the last lap in the 200 fly.
“Dean had the swim of the meet in the 200 fly by coming from behind on the last lap to win with a time of 1:52.84,” Baity said. “He also went on to win the 200 individual medley over teammate Chris Keady. Both Chris and Dean have practiced very hard so far this season and showed great promise for the future in their performances this past weekend.”
The top finisher for the diving team was junior Chris Donohoe who placed fifth in the one-meter board and third in the three-meter board.
Against both Dartmouth and Harvard, the women’s team had closer results. The Red beat the Green 161-139 and fell to the Crimson 169.5-128.5.
Senior Leah Tourtellotte recorded an impressive performance this weekend. With her win in the 50 free, she set her own personal-best time (23.98) and a Dartmouth pool-record time. She also came in first in both the 100 fly (57.23) and the 100 free (52.25).
Also performing well for the Red was junior Sarah Yan who captured in first for the 500 free, second in the 200 free, and successfully anchored the 200 medley relay to a first place finish.
Like the men’s team, a few freshman shined in this season opening opportunity. Freshman Kathleen Hohwald came in first in both the 100 and 200 back against the Green.
The debut performance of the freshmen was not only a matter of proving themselves on the squad, but it also determined the outcome of the meet. The 200 IM’s results would determine the meet’s results. Ana Goya Arce led, followed by Laura DeCesare and Meg Farrington and the three freshmen swept to an impressive 1-2-3 finish, thereby defeating Dartmouth.