Division III Weekly Preview: NESCAC Schools Back in Action

Photo Courtesy: Hayley Good

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In the hype of Division III fall invitationals, the NESCAC schools—Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity (CT), Tufts, Wesleyan and Williams have already had their fair share of fast swims this season as well. With a November 1st start date, these schools set themselves apart from the rest of Division III. While many swimmers have shaved and rested for big meets in December, the NESCAC schools are just getting started.

Sure some schools, such as Tufts for example, may have swimmers throw a suit on in early December, but none of these schools attend a fall invite and use it as a true taper meet. It just doesn’t make sense. So as most other teams are in recovery, training or finals week, NESCAC schools will set out for a competitive weekend:

Meet of the Week: Springfield vs. Middlebury

Photo Courtesy: Springfield Athletics

On the women’s side, this is always a close competition between Middlebury and NEWMAC’s Springfield. In last year’s contest, Springfield came away with the 152-148 win. Both teams lost a bit of depth to graduation, but Springfield should pull away with this one once again. With versatile senior Emily Medeiros leading the way, Springfield should be able to offset the tradition of sprinting success at Middlebury.

Races to Watch:

100 back – Springfield should win the first two events with Hayley Cordery in the 1,000 and Olivia Paione in the 200 free, but the 100 back is a good opportunity for Middlebury to make a solid strike back. Freshman Frances VanderMeer will be the best shot at a win for Midd, followed by senior Claire Treesh. The duo has swam a 1:02.13 and 1:02.88, respectively. They will need to get past Lindsay Defelice (1:02.20) and Mackenzie Coleman (1:03.13) to get the swing in this event. With four swimmers within one second of each other, there are many possible outcomes with this one. If Middlebury wants to win this meet, the 100 back is an opportunity to score big.
50 free – With Honorable Mention All-American Delaney Dyjak out this season due to injury, the 50 free has become wide open. Springfield will most likely turn to both Paione and Cordery to swim down to the 50. Both have gone 25-mid this season. Middlebury has three swimmers that have gone faster than both women, so this could be another chance for Middlebury to gain momentum heading into the diving break. All six swimmers competing in the 50 free are within a half second of each other, so expect a true college dual meet 50 free on Saturday.
100 fly – While Medeiros will handedly win any combination of 100/200 breast/200 fly events she will swim, the 100 fly will not be as easy. But Medeiros has been in this situation numerous times this season alone, let alone her college career. She will be able to come home strong against VanderMeer who has the faster time by .31 headed into the meet. Springfield will have more depth here in Lauren Longley and Danielle Hoffner, but the first place points this late in the game could really make or break the meet for either team.

In the men’s meet, it would not be impossible for Springfield to pull out the win, but with a lack of numbers it will be a tall order. Middlebury has not lost this meet since 2012, so they will be looking to continue this tradition. The Springfield men will definitely not back down, especially since they have a shot at winning one, if not both relays.

Races to Watch:

200 free – Whether Springfield decides to go with Austin Von Heeringen or Erik Mckenna with this one, there will be a race for Middlebury’s Connor McCormick and Jack Dowling. McCormick, a junior, is a utility swimmer that can be used anywhere; he essentially has it all—front speed, endurance and racing experience. Due to numbers, Dowling should take the third place points regardless. McCormick will have a better chance at winning if Springfield uses McKenna here, but it would be safer to use Von Heeringen in the 200 free and Mckenna in the 100 back. While they are not steadfast wins, it gives Springfield a chance.
200 free relay – If Springfield loads their medley relay, it is safe to say that they will come out with the win. If not, the final relay could be quite the race as the teams are currently separated by less than two tenths. A 22 split from Middlebury’s Brendan Leech will be huge as both Parsons and McKenna will probably not be available for this relay.

Aside from these events, you can expect fast swims on both sides, but there will not be as many head-to-head matchups as there are on the women’s side. Regardless, the right lineup and atmosphere could put Springfield in contention. At the same time, Middlebury will be hungry for this win after losing to Connecticut, Tufts and Amherst already this season. They will be ready to step up and post some faster swims this weekend.

One More to Watch: Wesleyan vs. Tufts, Williams, WPI

Photo Courtesy: David DeCortin

Tufts men’s swimming and diving is a team that is on the rise in Division III. After beating Middlebury earlier in November and an impressive showing at the MIT Invitational this past weekend, they will be ready to take on NESCAC-Champion Williams.

On the women’s side, Williams has already achieved a handful of B cuts when the Ephs took on Division I Boston College last weekend. Their list of stars will align once again at Wesleyan on Saturday.

Swimmers to Watch (Women):

Olivia Jackson (Williams) – Jackson posted a pair of NCAA B cuts in her signature backstroke events against Boston College. Her 57.32 and 2:03.69 are still a ways off her NCAA swims from last year, but are faster than what she swam at this point last year. She will be looking to re-claim her individual title in the 200 back from her sophomore year in March.
Emma Waddell (Williams) – Veteran Waddell is already off to a good start with her 56.34 100 fly against Boston College. The time currently ranks tenth in the nation. She also leads the conference in the 100 and 50 free, as she earned a B cut in the latter event, posting a 23.52.
Caroline White (Williams) – White raced to a B cut in the 200 breast against Boston College swimming a 2:20.89. She did the same in the 100 distance with a 1:04.68. This equals the Ephs’ fastest 100 breast from last season, so freshman White could be just what Williams needed to make an impact in the medley relays this season.
Amanda Gottschalk (Tufts) – Gottschalk earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 200 breast last season, so she will be ready to race White in this event. While the race should ultimately go to White, it will be a good racing opportunity for Gottschalk in preparation for NESCACs to get back to NCAAs this year.

Swimmers to Watch (Men):

Zach Wallace (Tufts) – Wallace had the meet of his career at MIT, posting B cuts in the 200 and 400 IM. Both swims are significantly faster than his NESCAC Championship performances from last season, so keep an eye out for Wallace come February and March.
Roger Gu (Tufts) – Gu is currently the NESCAC Conference leader in both the 50 and 100 free. He posted an NCAA B cut in the 50 at last weekend’s MIT Invite swimming a 20.69.
Kingsley Bowen (Tufts) – Bowen swam to an NCAA B cut in the 200 backstroke last weekend posting a 1:49.23. This leads the conference in this event, and is three seconds ahead of what he swam in December of last year. This puts him in a good place to improve upon his fourth place finish in this event at last year’s NCAAs.
Lucca Delcompare (Williams) – Delcompare leads the NESCAC in the 200 fly even through some suited swims from last weekend. Just a freshman, his lifetime best of 1:49 should be good enough to qualify for NCAAs, so it is expected that he will only get faster from here.

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