Men’s and women’s swim and dive faced off against Dartmouth and Harvard in Hanover over the weekend in their first Ivy meets of the season. The men started off strong with a win over Dartmouth before falling to Harvard; the women lost against both competitors.
The Red went into the meet looking to swim fast and race hard. The men’s team had a particularly strong second half, getting into touching very well and maintaining good energy throughout the meet.
“We knew that we may not perform the best, but we outperformed ourselves,” senior and captain Jack Mahoney said.
“Harvard is the powerhouse of the Ivy League, and we knew that they always come ready to race … But our main focus was Dartmouth,” he continued.
Mahoney judges the team to be in a “really good spot,” as they were able to improve from the week before and seem to be developing on the whole every day.
With the fastest freshman in the country, Will Grant, swimming for Harvard this season, the Crimson is shaping up to be the Ivy League’s most formidable competitor. The Red fell to Harvard, 185-113 — but still had at least two top-five finishers in six out of 16 events.
The Red defeated Dartmouth, 166.50-133.50, for a sixth consecutive victory over the Green.
With lost points due to missed touches, the Red will look to sharpen details going forward.
“[We need to focus on] tweaking the small things,” Mahoney said.
Mahoney was one of the top finishers in the 100-yard freestyle, with a record of 46.36.
Senior Ryan Brown, another co-captain, commented that although there were “couple of races where [his teammates] outperformed [themselves],” there were some low points in the meet where a couple of racers swam for a long time, yet did not get a touch, which is “never a good feeling.”
“As a captain, I like to make sure I am bringing good energy,” said Brown.
Paige daCosta, a freshman who is emerging as a vital member of the Red, paired up with Mahoney, Brown and junior Jacob Mullin to finish second place in 1:32.87.
The women’s swimming and diving team, however, was not able to overcome Dartmouth and Harvard, finishing up the meet at 169-131 against the Green and 201-94 against the Crimson.
Junior Sophia Cherkez helped start the meet strong, as she set the record of 200-yard individual medley with a winning time of 2:10.70. She further finished as top-three in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:29.70. Then, with the team of freshman Melissa Parker, junior Maegan Rudolph and junior Claire Liu, she finished the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:36.28.
For the divers, sophomore Demetra Williams won the 3-meter and finished second in the 1-meter. Alongside with Williams, freshman Elise Jendritz placed third in the 1-meter and fourth in the 3-meter.
The Red will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Princeton, New Jersey as it competes against Penn and Princeton.