NESCAC Women’s Championships Preview

amherst-williams-relay-lineup
Photo Courtesy: Shannon Edelbrock

By Cathleen Pruden, Swimming World College Intern

Williams College will look to earn their 15th New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title beginning Friday at Middlebury. Though the Ephs graduated Sarah Thompson, the 2015 NCAA D3 Female Swimmer of the Year, the team looks poised to repeat with impressive depth and a number of returning standouts. A look at the psych sheet shows that some swimmers from many teams are entered in too many events. Without knowing who will scratch what, here is a look at what weekend action may hold.

Williams’ Megan Pierce is the top seed in four events, but will only be able to swim three of them. In the 200 IM, the junior is seeded with a time of 2:06.92, just ahead of one of Bates’ leaders, Sarah Daher (2:07.72). In the 400 IM, Pierce (the 2014 NCAA Champion) is seeded at 4:28.05, well ahead of Daher (4:32.64), and Eph teammate Katherine Bennett (4:33.65). Pierce will be chasing Thompson’s 1650 meet record (16:53.55), after she was less than a second behind her teammate last year.

In 2015, Bates captured second place. Seniors Whitney Paine and Lindsey Prelgovisk join Daher with high seeds in multiple events. Paine is seeded first in the 100 backstroke (57.29), ahead of a trio of Williams swimmers: Bennett (57.38), Olivia Jackson (57.38), and Faye Sultan (58.66). Prelgovisk is second in the 100 butterfly (56.59), only .02 behind Williams’ Emma Waddell (56.57).

Amherst’s Emily Hyde will also seek to defend her titles in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. She is the top seed by large margins in both events, with seed times of 1:04.50 and 2:18.79.

Swimming in their home pool, Middlebury will look to improve on last year’s third place finish. The Panthers are paced by Isabel Wyer who is the sixth seed in the 500 freestyle (5:07.56) and fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:55.38). Her teammate Morgan Burke is the seventh seed in the 200 freestyle (1:55.40).

Full Psych Sheet available here: 2016 New England Small College Athletic Conference Women: Psych Sheet – Results

 

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Debi Cornaglia
8 years ago

Good luck Hamilton! #GoBlue

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