SATURDAY RECAP
After the fourth and final day of the Great Midwest and Mountain East conference championships, Hillsdale placed second with 1,572.5 points. Last year, the chargers finished with 1,323 points. Head Coach Kurt Kirner was voted women's coach of the year.
Sophomore Katherine Heeres broke her third school record and became the conference champion for the second time in the 200 backstroke (2:03.35). In the 200 breaststroke, senior Anika Ellingson took a very close second and swam a season best time and an NCAA DII B-cut (2:19.81)
In the 200 backstroke, Junior Bailey Bickerstaff finished sixth with a lifetime best time (2:10.85). Junior Allie Matti finished seventh with a season best time (2:11.20). Junior Taylor Steyer finished 17th with a lifetime best time (2:17.90).
In the 1650, senior Grace Houghton finished fifth with a season best time (18:17.93). Freshman Anna Clark finished sixth with a lifetime best time (18:28.09). Sophomore Hannah Wilkens swam a lifetime best in the 1650 for seventh place (18:28.84). Freshman Maddie Breay finished 10th (18:34.54). Freshman Stefanie Walker swam a lifetime best in for 14th place (18:49.90). Junior Lizzie Leathers dropped 16 seconds for a lifetime best time and 17th place (19:16.17).
In the 100 freestyle, junior Catherine Voisin finished tenth (54.35). Freshman Anja Nuet finished eleventh with a season best time (54.53). Senior Suzanne DeTar finished twelfth with a season best time (54.86). Junior Danielle LeBleu sixteenth (55.57). Sophomore Mary Vita finished seventeenth with a lifetime best time (55.00). Sophomore Emma Rao finished in a close eighteenth place (55.10)
In the 200 breaststroke, freshman Maddie Breay finished eighth (2:36.93).
400 freestyle relay of DeTar, Nuet, Voisin, and Heeres finished third (3:37.80) with Heeres having the fastest split (52.65).
FRIDAY RECAP
After day three of the Great Midwest and Mountain East conference championships, Hillsdale maintains second place with 1,194.5 points.
Senior Anika Ellingson was the conference champion for the second time. She won the 100 breaststroke, just missing her season best time (1:02.83). Sophomore Katherine Heeres broke a second school record, this time in the 100 backstroke which she already held (57.00) and finished second.
Four chargers took the podium in the 200 butterfly. Junior Catherine Voisin took the silver medal (2:06.94). Freshman Anna Clark swam a lifetime best time in prelims (2:09.04) and finished with the bronze (2:10.09). Senior Grace Houghton tied her season best time for fourth place (2:10.95) after swimming the 500 freestyle. Junior Lizzie Leathers swam a lifetime best time in prelims (2:14.97) and finished eighth in finals (2:18.99). Junior Bailey Bickerstaff finished 11th (2:18.86) after swimming the 100 backstroke.
In the 500 freestyle, junior Danielle LeBleu finished sixth with a season best time (5:16.47). Senior Grace Houghton swam a season best time in prelims (5:20.19) and finished eighth in finals (5:22.20). Sophomore Hannah Wilkens finished 10th with a season best time (5:19.37). Freshman Stefanie Walker finished 11th with a lifetime best time (5:20.32)
In the 100 back, junior Allie Matti swam a season best time in prelims (59.71) and finished seventh in finals (1:00.29). Senior Suzanne DeTar finished eighth with a season best time (1:01.11). Junior Bailey Bickerstaff finished 11th (1:02.19). Sophomore Mary Vita finished ninth with a lifetime best time (1:01.55).
In the 100 breaststroke, freshman Maddie Breay finished seventh with a season best time (1:08.36). Freshman Taylor Boyle swam a lifetime best time in prelims (1:10.22) and finished eighth in finals (1:10.68). Freshman Anja Nuet finished ninth with a lifetime best time (1:10.00). Sophomore Emma Rao finished 11th with a lifetime best time (1:12.63)
The 800 freestyle relay of Vita, Breay, DeTar, and LeBleu finished third (7:59.86).
THURSDAY RECAP
After day two of the Great Midwest and Mountain East conference championships, Hillsdale maintained second place with 715 points behind Findlay 962.
The 400 medley relay of Katherine Heeres, Anika Ellingson, Catherine Voisin, and Suzanne DeTar were conference champions and set a new school record (4:51.53). Heeres continued to set another school record in the 200 freestyle (1:53.29) and finished third by .37 seconds.
In the 400 IM, Junior Danielle LeBleu finished second by .2 seconds with a lifetime best time (4:37.24). Senior Anika Ellingson took fourth with a lifetime best time (4:45.38). Junior Allie Matti finished in a very close eighth with a lifetime best time (4:49.97). Sophomore Hannah Wilkens finished ninth with a season best time (4:47.75). Freshman Anja Nuet finished 10th with a season best time (4:51.98).
In the 100 butterfly, Junior Catherine Voisin finished fifth with a lifetime best time (57.19). Freshman Anna Clark 100 swam a lifetime best time in prelims (58.37) and finished seventh in finals (58.81). Freshman Stefanie Walker swam a season best time in prelims (59.76) and finished ninth in finals (1:00.76). Junior Bailey Bickerstaff finished 11th (1:00.53). Junior Lizzie Leathers swam a season-best time and finished 15th (1:01.57). Sophomore Emma Rao finished 19th (1:05.50).
In the 200 freestyle Sophomore Mary Vita swam a lifetime best time in prelims (1:58.34) and finished eighth in finals (1:58.49).
200 freestyle relay of Rao, LeBleu, DeTar and Heeres finished third (1:38.13) with Heeres having the fastest split (23.64).
WEDNESDAY RECAP
The Great Midwest and Mountain East Conferences came together at the C. T. Brainin Natatorium in Canton, Ohio. The championship started Wednesday and will continue through Saturday. After day one, Hillsdale is currently second with 333 points.
Six chargers scored points in the 1000 freestyle. Katherine Heeres had a season best time and finished fourth (10:44.12). Maddie Breay swam a lifetime best time for seventh place (10:51.69). Anna Clark also swam a lifetime best for a close eighth (10:53.88). Grace Houghton had a season best time and finished in ninth place (10:56.23). Stefanie Walker dropped 37.2 seconds for a new lifetime best time and thirteenth place (11:01.31). Lizzie Leathers had the biggest time drop of 47.8 seconds for twentieth place (11:23.39).
Six chargers again scored points in the 200 IM. Anika Ellingson swam a season best and finished fifth (2:09.07). Danielle Lebleu had a season best swim and finished seventh (2:10.21). Anja Nuet swam a lifetime best time for ninth place (2:13.60). Catherine Voisin also had a lifetime best time and finished eleventh (2:14.50). Allie Matti had a close twelfth place and a season best (2:14.68). Hannah Wilkens swam a season best and finished thirteenth (2:15.45).
Four chargers scored in the 50 freestyle. Emma Rao had a season best time and finished ninth (24.69). Suzanne DeTar had a season best time in prelims (24.97) and finished eleventh in finals (25.04). Mary Vita had a season best time in prelims (25.29) and finished sixteenth in finals (25.51). Taylor Steyer swam a season best time and took eighteenth place (25.37).
The 200 medley relay of Bickerstaff, Ellingson, Voisin, and Rao finished second (1:47.48).
PHOTO: ZOE TRACEY
WORDS: ZOE TRACEY