SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The Wheaton College women's swimming & diving team swept the Mount Holyoke College Lyons and the Clark University Cougars in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tri-meet on Thursday afternoon. Wheaton defeated Mount Holyoke 158-72 and topped Clark 155-75.
The 200-yard medley relay squads for Wheaton tallied first and second place to open the meet. The 'A' group was guided by senior Kelley Baylis, senior Jess Ryabin, junior Jenna Hayden and first-year Caitlin Daley who notched a 1:53.87 final time for first. Junior Aleza Epstein, first-year Erin Kean, first-year Sophia Hatzikos and first-year Maggie Lawler followed in next with a 1:57.77 final for second.
Hayden continued the first place drive for the Lyons when she tapped in a 2:01.60 final in the 200-yard freestyle. First-year Elizabeth Bernardy followed quickly with a third place finish at 2:08.17. The Lyons continued action in the 50-yard freestyle where Epstein tallied first (25.68) and Daley marked second (25.83) to increase Wheaton's lead.
Kean later recorded the first of what would end up being four top five finishes in the 200-yard individual medley after she clocked in at 2:20.74 for second place. Hatzikos (third), sophomore Tayla Slater (fourth) and junior Catie Ebsary (fifth) followed. Lawler guided the Lyons with a strong push in the 100-yard freestyle as she claimed first place at 57.41.
It was all senior Claire Bollman in the 500-yard freestyle when she earned a first place spot, tapping it a 5:32.75 final to give Wheaton another boost. Bernardy carried that momentum for the Lyons into the 200-yard breaststroke where she tallied her own first place position at 2:34.63.
First-year Maddy Morrison led the way for the Lyons in diving when she earned first-place in the three-meter dive with a 235.15 final. She also registered a second place mark in the one-meter when she dished out a 240.90 final mark.
Wheaton hosts Babson College on Saturday at 1 p.m. in another NEWMAC matchup hosted in Balfour Natatorium. The Lyons will also be celebrating Senior Day.
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