Rookies must float team

By Kevin Tran

Last season, the women's swim team defeated Harvard for the first time in five years by a slim 18-point margin. "We intend to repeat this and make a stab at Princeton during this year's home HYP," Captain Emily Fain, DC '02, said.

Although the Bulldogs' entire season does not revolve around Princeton and Harvard, they will have to defeat their perennial rivals if Yale is to have any chance of taking the Ivy League title away from Princeton this time around.

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY The women's swim team needs its rookies to step up against Ivy rivals.

The Bulldogs have not let up since their third-place finish at the Ivy Championships last season. "Training for swim season never really ends or begins," Fain said. "We are constantly in the pool."

Since the start of the season, Keefe has scheduled time trials to gauge each swimmer's progress and determine meet rosters. Keefe also organized the annual Blue-White competition, an intra-squad tournament, to prepare for upcoming matches.

But until official times are recorded, Keefe must turn to his instincts when determining rosters. Among his difficult decisions are sorting through the 23 underclassmen, 12 of whom are new to the team, to fill in key spots vacated by graduated seniors.

"We have several new sprinters who we'll be testing out for relays," Paige Harazin, ES '04, a member of the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams, said. Team members point to Erin Vander-berg, DC '05, as someone who could play a key role in the 100-yard backstroke. As a new Yale swimmer, Vanderburg posted a 57-second swim in the event.

One noticeable absence from this year's team is Meredith Bryarly, BR '01, Yale's leading swimmer last year, who competed in four events for the Bulldogs.

"The lack of experience in swimming competitive dual meets can either make or break us," Fain said. "But I have great confidence in our underclassmen."

With such a young team, Keefe has looked to his two seniors, Fain and Linda Tivorsak, TC '02, to help guide the squad in the right direction. Since so many of the new swimmers do not know what to expect in collegiate dual meets, a cohesive team led by the two seniors was necessary when the Bulldogs faced Columbia on Fri., Nov. 9 in their first meet of the season. Although Yale defeated the Lions last year, the inexperience of the squad may prove to be a negative factor.

"We talk about going the season undefeated," Harazin said. "This will be a good indicator of what we'll be able to accomplish."

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