Everybody needs a pick-me-up. William and Mary men’s and women’s swimming teams, both successful teams looking for a mid-season boost, got just that this weekend.
The women’s squad obliterated hapless Georgetown 138-62 to move its record to .500 on the season. Similarly, the men’s team moved to 4-2 on the season by crushing the Hoya men 115.5-84.5 in Williamsburg Saturday.
The College women started in dominant fashion, winning each of the first nine events. The Tribe’s winning streak began with the 400 medley relay. The team consisting of sophomore Liz Glenn, senior Emily Bart, senior Gabrielle Mizerak and junior Jen Bentley paced the field with a time of three minutes and 55.04 seconds and cruised to the victory. A testament to the College’s prowess, the Tribe also finished in second place as freshman Noelle Klockner, freshman Courtney Mizerak, freshman Jessie Ustjanauskas and sophomore Greta Schneider finished in 3:57.34.
After the 400 medley relay, freshmen Hannah Vester and Elena Marsilli claimed the top two positions in the 1000 free. Vester finished in 10:29.86, Marsilli touched the wall in 10:37.68, and senior Meghan Baker finished in third with a time of 10:40.79.
The College continued to lead in freestyle, with wins in the 50, 100, 200 and 500. Bentley won the 200 free with a time of 1:54.69, while senior Caylyn Tate finished just behind in 1:54.95 and Mizerak took third place in 1:57.43.
Junior Sara Shaner turned in a pair of victories for the College Saturday, one coming in the 50 free, and the other in the 100 free. Shaner claimed victory in the 50 with a time of 24.27, while Schneider finished in second with a time of 24.64, and freshman Amanda Weidner took fourth place with a time of 25.12.
In the 100, Shaner paced the field with a time of 53.29, while Mizerak’s time of 54.27 was good for second place. Weidner turned in another impressive fourth place finish, this one in 55.31 seconds.
Freshman Lindsey Winston continued her strong rookie campaign with a victory in the 200 IM. Winston finished in 2:10.08, followed closely by junior Devin Henry in 2:12.02 and Mizerak in fourth at 2:13.56.
Ustjanauskas took the 200 fly in 2:07.84, and fellow freshman Rachel Cortright touched the wall at 2:12.52. Sophomore Rebecca Spicher finished in fourth with a time of 2:13.55.
The College finished out the afternoon with a pair of victories in the 200 back and the 500 free. Glenn won the 200 back in 2:03.27, while sophomore Katie Thomas and Winston helped the College complete a sweep of the podium with second-and-third place finishes, respectively.
Meanwhile, the men dominated Georgetown in similar fashion, drubbing the Hoyas by winning seven out of 10 events.
The action on the men’s side began with the 400 medley relay. Freshman Will Manion, senior Ben Ward, junior Andrew Strait and freshman Billy Russell sped away from the field, claiming the victory in 3:26.30. The team of freshman Justin Barden, sophomore Chris Dong, senior K.J. Shaw and sophomore Taegan Clarke finished in second place for the College with a time of 3:28.16.
Freshman Ryan Natal claimed victory in the 200 free, just ahead of senior Hunter Perrot. Natal touched the wall at 1:43.98, while Perrot finished in 1:44.07. Russell finished in fourth at 1:46.94.
The Tribe earned a pair of wins in the 200 fly and the 50 free. Ward paced the field in the 50 free and finished with a time of 21.29, while senior Sidney Glass claimed second in 21.89. In the 200 fly, freshman Charley Bowles continued his impressive season with a 1:59.00 finish, which allowed him to claim victory. Sophomore Kemp Pettyjohn finished in second in 1:59.20, while Barden finished in third.
To round out the afternoon, the College also added victories in the 200 IM, 100 free and 200 back. Strait claimed the 200 IM with a winning time of 1:55.05, while Perrot edged out Strait in the 100 free, winning in 46.87 to Strait’s 46.88. Manion won the 200 back with a 1:54.45 effort.
Overall, both men’s and women’s teams ended the fall season on a positive note. Both squads will rest for much of the winter before returning to action Jan. 12 at home against Howard.