Swimming programs complete stellar seasons

By Sara Naison-Phillips

The expression "third time's the charm" holds true for the women's swimming team, which won the Ivy League championship for the third time in three years this winter. This season's title, however, was unique in that the team entered the season as underdogs, only to achieve an undefeated record against Ancient Eight foes.

In addition, while previous squads shared the crown first with Princeton and then with Harvard, this group won it outright. Other teams dream about winning even one Ivy ring: the classes of '97 and '98 will be sporting three.

Three proved to be an important number for the men's swimming team as well. The men placed third in the Ivies with a 5-2 record. This improvement from their sixth place finish last season was certainly affected by the addition of 17 freshman. Team captain Brian Hall, BK '97, commented on the freshman impact: "As far as work ethic goes, the freshmen were workout leaders."

Though the men's and women's squads finished third and first respectively in the league, the men finished fourth and the women third in the Eastern Championships at Princeton. These placements seem inconsistent, especially the women's recent losses to Brown and Princeton after dominating these squads in regular league action. Swimmers, however, must go through a rigorous and complex process of tapering workouts in order to be at peak condition for the most important meets of the season. "Most teams have to focus on either the dual meets or the championship at the end. Traditionally the Yale swim teams have focused more on the Ivy title," Hall said.

This strategy proved extremely successful for the women swimmers who, having lost twelve seniors, went into the '96-'97 campaign as underdogs. Stephanie Mulazzi, DC '97, the women's captain, emphasized the team's unity. "The key to this season was the chemistry on the team; everyone pulled together. When I swam, I swam for everyone," Mulazzi said.

While the women's team had several stars, including Kate Ivers, BK '99, Kate Hitchner, PC '98, Malindi Davies, ES '98, and Lindsay Wolter, TD '00, each of whom set personal bests, the squad's focus was not on the individual.

Like the women, the men focus on the group aspect of competition. "In the past, we were a team driven by stars," Hall explained. "But this was our best team season."

In addition to receiving several excellent individual efforts during the regular season, Jon Malpass, SM '00, John Barbie, CC '98, Pat Sugrue, BR '00, and Tim Moffet, SM '00, particularly stood out at Easterns. "Next year we'll be a force to reckon with," Jeremy Fain, DC '99, said. If both teams' upward trends continue, Ivy League foes will find this out first-hand.

Back to Sports...