Bates swimmers set several personal bests at training meet in Florida
The Bates College men’s and women’s swimming teams competed in the Del Ray Invitational in Del Ray Beach, Fla., on Dec. 30, during the team’s winter training.
The meet was a unique experience for the teams in several ways. It was the only competition of the year held against teams outside of New England, with the University of Western Ontario, Carthage College and Ohio Northern attending. It was the only meet the team will swim in long course meters. In addition, the meet was held outdoors in a pleasant 80 degrees with lots of sun and a nice breeze coming off the ocean less than a mile away.
Despite all the changes over the Bobcats’ normal meet setups and the week of double-workout days that the team put in prior to the meet, the teams turned in a number of fast swims and great races.
Sophomore Annie Barton (Holladay, Utah) won the 200 meter IM and placed fourth and fifth respectively in the 100 and 200 meter breaststrokes.
“Annie Barton, despite her overwhelming anxiety about being seeded first, really pulled it together and had a great race,” said women’s co-captain Kate Gatti (Chelmsford, Mass.).
Sophomore Emilie Swenson (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and Gatti both had a pair of second-place finishes.
Co-captain Kristy Ten Haagen (Newington, N.H.) not only turned in strong swims in her two individual events, with the best times of her collegiate career in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, but swam a great relay leg to pull her squad past Ohio Northern.
On the men’s side, first-year Chris Berry (Augusta, Maine) touched second in the 100-meter backstroke. Senior co-captain Fisher Qua (Cambridge, N.Y.) finished with a career-best time in the 100-meter breaststroke, and senior John Bauer (Concord, Mass.) had a lifetime best in the 100 fly.