Saturday\u00a0at a quad meet between Division III NESCAC teams Bowdoin College, Colby College, Trinity College, and Wesleyan University, the women’s teams from each school\u00a0marched and swam to recognize the Women’s Marches that took place around the\u00a0United States today.<\/p>\n
Before the opening National Anthem the women marched on deck together. Captains from each team then stood together to read a statement about the march,<\/p>\n
“Thanks to everyone for being here! The Wesleyan, Trinity, Colby, and Bowdoin women’s swim teams want to recognize everyone, across the US, who is marching today against discrimination and hate.\u00a0Many of us are disappointed to not be able to attend the events, but we are also grateful to be here, as athletes and people with the privilege of attending schools that offer us incredible athletic and educational opportunities.\u00a0At the end of the meet we will have a final relay of mixed strokes and mixed teams to celebrate our unity as women, our support for one another, and to express our solidarity with others across the country.\u00a0Here’s to love and gratitude and powerful people everywhere.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
At the end of the meet, the women came together again, this time to swim. Divers and swimmers swam in relays, each with a mix of the four teams and more than four athletes, as family and friends in the stands and male teammates on deck stood and cheered. The relays were neither a race nor a traditional distance. The athletes worked together to swim in synch\u00a0until each\u00a0woman\u00a0had participated.<\/p>\n
Colby College senior\u00a0Cat Padgett\u00a0<\/strong>initiated the event. She explained\u00a0how the idea for the relay was created,<\/p>\n
“My teammates and I were pretty disappointed about our meet conflicting with the marches around the country today. But the more I thought about being at our meet while so many women and men across the US were marching in solidarity, I realized how overwhelmingly cool it would be to be surrounded by amazing female athletes on such a historic day.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After working with her sister\u00a0Sarah,<\/strong>\u00a0a Wesleyan sophomore, the teams were in contact with each other and put the event in motion.<\/p>\n
Afterwards Padgett reflected,\u00a0“I think we all had so much fun; I’m super grateful to have been there and to have had so much support from our coaches and our families in the stands. I love these people and I’m really proud to be a NESCAC\u00a0swimmer today.”<\/p>\n
The March:<\/h3>\n