It's been a long, strange wait for the Hillsdale College women's swimming and diving team, but the Chargers' patience was rewarded on Saturday afternoon.
After two months stuck in limbo waiting for their first chance to swim against live competition, the Charger swim team hosted their first in-person meet of the season against Indiana Wesleyan and honored their two graduating seniors, Katherine Heeres and Emma Rao. Hillsdale won the meet with the Wildcats, 132-70.
The Chargers went 1-2-3 in multiple events. In the 50 freestyle, sophomore Marie Taylor took first (25.09), senior Emma Rao took second (25.66), and junior Carissa Henderson took third (25.90).
Taylor also took first in the 100 freestyle (55.44) and Henderson took third (57.09).
In the 100 breaststroke freshman Cecilia Guadalupi made her college debut and took first (1:10.07), junior Taylor Boyle was second (1:11.40), and junior Maddie Breay was third (1:13.85).
Guadalupi also took first in the 200 IM (2:14.17), and sophomore Leah Tunney took second (2:15.89).
Freshman Caroline Holmes made her college debut and won the 200 freestyle (1:58.50), and senior Katherine Heeres was second (2:00.82).
In the 100 butterfly, junior Anna Clark took first (1:01.04), and sophomore Madison Pyhel had a very close second place finish (1:01.32).
In the 100 backstroke, Heeres took first (1:00.86), and Holmes had a very close second (1:00.93).
The 200 medley A-relay of Tunney, Guadalupi, A. Clark, and Henderson just out touched the B-relay for first (1:53.79), and the B relay of Slepian, Boyle, Rao, and Briskey, had a very close second (1:53.83).
In the distance events, Pyhel took second in the 1000 (10:56.84) and sophomore Sarah Clark took third (11:05.38). In the 500, Tunney took second (5:19.73) and S. Clark was third (5:27.17).
The Chargers highlighted the careers of Heeres and Rao in what might be the only home meet the two seniors get to swim in this season. Heeres was the 2017-18 G-MAC Freshman of the Year for the Chargers and a multi-time first-team All-G-MAC swimmer over the past three and a half years, and Rao also has earned multiple All-G-MAC honors during her time in Charger blue and white as well.
Both swimmers played a critical role for Hillsdale in last year's G-MAC/MEC conference title, the first team conference title in program history.
Hillsdale will continue its season next week, traveling to Bethel University in Indiana for a four-team invitational.
Written by Zoe Tracey