Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Sophomore Tyler Patterson swims the butterfly during practice.
The Hillsdale College swim team defeated Gannon University 72-50 and lost to Ashland University 69-53 in their last double-dual meet of the season at Ashland on Saturday.
“We weren’t expecting our best times of the season because we’ve been working really hard and just started our taper, [reducing the amount of yards we swim each day], to prepare for GLIACs,” freshman swimmer Ali Lanctot said. “As a team, though, we all put forth our best effort and did well for the amount of training we’ve done.”
Head coach Mary Anne Gerzanick said she was very pleased with the team’s performance Saturday.
Among the highlights of the meet was freshman Anne Verhoef’s performance. Verhoef placed first in the 200-yard freestyle and second in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events.
Sophomore Tyler Patterson won both the 200-yard fly and the 200-yard individual medley. Junior Amanda Smith took first place in the 100-yard freestyle and second place in the 50-yard freestyle, and freshman Katherine Hogan won the 200-yard backstroke.
Gerzanick said she was impressed not only with the team’s performance against Gannon and Ashland but also with the great amount of improvement and growth she has seen throughout the season.
“They’ve made huge progress and have taken enormous strides in the pool,” she said.
Lanctot agreed.
“The whole freshman class has adjusted well to a new level of training and competition. A lot of us have done more yardage than we ever have before, and we feel like we have gained a lot more strength and ability over the season.”
Sophomore swimmer Abbie Henry attributed much of the season’s success to how close the swimmers have become over the season.
“The entire team did so well Saturday,” she said. “Everyone has grown so close this season, especially after the Notre Dame Invitational and the trip to Hawaii over Christmas break. On Saturday, everyone was cheering so loud for the girls in the pool. It was amazing.”
Gerzanick and Lanctot emphasized the significance of the progress the entire team—espeically the freshmen—has made this season, and both said Henry’s improvement stood out.
“She came in as a freshman not having much experience with this level of training and competition, and over the last two years—especially this season—I’ve watched her improve significantly,” Gerzanick said.
“Abbie has put in a lot of time and effort, and there has been a noticeable drop in her times over the course of the season,” Lanctot said.
The Chargers are now focusing on preparing for the GLIAC tournament, which will take place Feb. 15-18 at Northern Michigan University.