Chargers Swim Their Way to 2nd-Place Finish in Chicago

Chargers Swim Their Way to 2nd-Place Finish in Chicago

Results

This past weekend the Hillsdale College swim team traveled to the University of Chicago for the 11th annual Phoenix Fall Classic. The meet lasted two and half days with prelim-final events Saturday and Sunday. The team finished second out of ten teams with a score of 694. Every swimmer who made it into the top 20 swam season best, or lifetime best times.

Friday

Friday evening, Charger distance lead the way with multiple lifetime best times. Freshman Leah Tunney finished fourth with a lifetime best time by 25 seconds (17:34.24). Freshman Madison Pyhel had a close sixth place finish (17:39.84). Freshman Sarah Clark finished seventh with a lifetime best time (17:47.05). Sophomore Anna Clark finished 10th with a lifetime best time by 13 seconds (18:15.23). Freshman Anika Fassett swam the mile for the first time and finished 15th (18:40.39), and sophomore Maddie Breay finished 16th (18:49.76).

That evening, the 200 freestyle A-relay of Henderson, Rao, Addis, and Heeres finished fourth (1:39.06), and the 400 medley A-relay of Tunney, Addis, Fassett, and Heeres finished seventh (4:00.26).

Saturday

On Saturday, Charger distance all scored in the top 20 in the 500. Tunney made her first NCAA B-cut and finished third (5:03.73 prelims, 5:03.42 finals). Pyhel finished sixth (5:08.21 prelims, 5:10.26 finals), Junior Katherine Heeres finished ninth (5:15.94 prelims, 5:16.13 finals), S. Clark finished 10th (5:13.12 prelims, 5:17.24 finals), Fassett finished 15th with a lifetime best time in prelims (5:23.36 prelims, 5:23.41 finals), and sophomore Stefanie Walker finished 17th (5:23.49 prelims, 5:24.96 finals).

Chargers had a strong showing in the 200 butterfly. A. Clark finished fourth (2:09.58 prelims, 2:11.47 finals), Fassett finished in a close fifth (2:11.46 prelims, 2:12.87 finals), Pyhel finished seventh (2:08.66 prelims, 2:13.24 finals), Walker swam the 200 butterfly for the first time and finished 16th (2:20.56 prelims, 2:22.02 finals), and senior Lizzie Leathers finished 17th (2:20.84 prelims, 2:23.48 finals).

In the 200 backstroke Tunney finished third (2:05.14 prelims, 2:05.65 finals), senior Bailey Bickerstaff finished ninth with a lifetime best time in finals (2:11.93 prelims, 2:10.29 finals), senior Allie Matti finished eleventh (2:13.35 prelims, 2:09.68 finals), and senior Taylor Steyer finished nineteenth (2:22.74 prelims, 2:22.67 finals).

The 100 breaststroke had close finishes by all Chargers. Senior Victoria Addis finished 12th (1:09.73 prelims, 1:09.04 finals), Breay finished 13th (1:10.96 prelims, 1:09.26 finals), and sophomore Taylor Boyle finished 15th (1:09.85 prelims, 1:09.72 finals).

In the 200 IM, senior Danielle Snell finished 16th (2:13.65 prelims, 2:14.30 finals), Matti finished in a close 17th (2:14.98 prelims, 2:14.64 finals), and freshman Sydney Slepian swam a lifetime best time (2:18.49).

In the 100 freestyle, Snell finished sixteenth (55.33 prelims, 55.07 finals), sophomore Carissa Henderson finished eighteenth (55.49 prelims, 55.70 finals), and junior Emma Rao finished 20th (55.48 prelims, 57.20 finals).

The 800 freestyle A-relay of Tunney, S. Clark, Pyhel, and Heeres finished fourth (7:54.22), and the 200 medley A-relay of Bickerstaff, Addis, Fassett, and Rao finished sixth (1:50.01).

Sunday

On the last day of competition, four Chargers finished in the top 10 in the 400 IM. Heeres finished fourth (4:45.44 prelims, 4:41.27 finals), Snell finished fifth (4:45.71 prelims, 4:42.12 finals), Matti finished eighth with a lifetime best time in finals (4:51.08 prelims, 4:48.23 finals), and senior Catherine Voisin finished tenth also with a lifetime best time in finals (4:54.84 prelims, 4:53.67 finals).

In the 200 breaststroke, Breay finished ninth (2:28.78 prelims, 2:29.62 finals), Boyle finished 12th with a lifetime best time in finals (2:35.59 prelims, 2:33.98 finals), Addis finished 14th (2:39.31 prelims, 2:36.65 finals), and Slepian finished 17th (2:38.18 prelims, 2:39.15 finals).

In the 100 backstroke, Bickerstaff finished fifth and swam another lifetime best time in finals (1:00.99 prelims, 59.45 finals), Steyer finished 15th (1:05.31 prelims, 1:05.50 finals), and Senior Caylee McComb finished 18th (1:12.41 prelims, 1:10.43 finals).

In the 50 freestyle, Rao finished ninth with a lifetime best time in prelims (24.29 prelims, 24.57 finals), and Heeres finished 16th (24.93 prelims, 24.89 finals).

In the 100 butterfly, Walker finished 15th (1:00.69 prelims, 1:00.23 finals), and A. Clark finished 16th (59.27 prelims, 1:00.77 finals).

In the 200 freestyle, S. Clark finished 10th (1:59.41 prelims, 2:00.58 finals).

The 400 freestyle relay of Tunney, Fassett, Snell, and Heeres finished sixth (3:39.05)