By Maxime Devillaz
Co-Editor-in-Chief
The women’s swimming team (3-1) welcomed their opponents from Kutztown University to Brookville, N.Y. and overwhelmed them in the water on Saturday, Nov. 8. The Pioneers had to race on stricter premises to even out the scoreboard. So far this season, the Green Machine has marked two new pool records—and they are eager for more.
The home team got off to a strong start as the Pioneers clinched first and second place finishes in both the 1000-yard freestyle and the 200-yard medley relay. The winning-streak then continued throughout most events of the day.
Junior Joyce Kwok showed why she is the reigning 200-yard butterfly National Champion, by racing to a time 2:05.21; good enough for an NCAA “B” qualifying mark in her specialty event. Junior Meghan Brazier also posted a NCAA “B” cut time, as she finished the 100-yard freestyle event at 52.26, claiming the first spot.
The final score was counted to 132-110, after the Pioneers gave out so called “pity points” to even out the score; the home team could count less of its racers’ times as a way of making the competition more fair.
“It feels really great in the group,” said freshman Erika Hultman, who stepped out of the pool with a top spot in the 100-yard breaststroke race at a time of 1:10:15. “We have already marked two pool records, which confirms the good start of the season.”
The two pool records came in the 200-yard medley relay team made up of senior Johanna Pettersson, Hultman, Kwok, and Brazier, and the 400-yard ditto with Pettersson, Kwok, Brazier and senior Carolin Rademacher.
“We have our Metropolitan Conference Championships in February. Going as back-to- back winners, I hope and believe we will be able to deliver as well this season,” Hultman said. “But we have only just started, and our first real test will come in two weeks in New Jersey with some great competition.”
The Rutgers University Invitational in New Jersey is a weekend-long meet that will take place on Nov. 21–23. Before then, Head Coach Maureen Travers and the Pioneers will race Fordham University on Friday, Nov. 14, in Bronx, N.Y. The teams are scheduled to hit the water at 6 p.m.
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