Women’s swimming pumped for State tourney

Kelly Capehart Guest Writer

After long months of training and competing, the Vassar women’s swim team is nearing the pinnacle of their season. The New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championship will take place this weekend on Feb. 21-23 in Syracuse, where Vassar will be among the 17 schools competing at Nottingham High School.

On each morning of the meet, contestants will swim their events once, with the top 24 finishers returning at night to swim in the final round.

Last year, Vassar placed seventh out of 15 teams in the competition. This year, Vassar is heading into the meet with an overall 2-7 record and a second-place finish at both the Liberty Leagues and Seven Sisters Championships. Their losing record, however, does not accurately reflect the individual strengths that can drive the team in the Championships.

Coach Lisl Prater-Lee, currently in her 13th year of coaching women’s and men’s swimming at Vassar, is looking forward to this year’s competition.

“We’ve done everything we’re supposed to do,” Prater-Lee said. “We can be confident and go in there and know that we can swim well.”

She also pointed out that this year presents new and more difficult competitors. “It’s going to be a very fast meet—faster than last year, with the addition of two teams, and also the [individual times]…are really fast,” she said.

Prater-Lee is realistic about the level of competition. “We’re not going to say, ‘Oh, let’s look at Union [College].’” Instead, the team has its eye on Vassar’s closest competitors, which include Hartwick College, Rochester Institute of Technology and Skidmore College. Hartwick finished sixth last year, and Rochester placed in the top 10 as well.

Emily Love ’09, an individual stand-out on the team, said that the team isn’t intimidated by their competition and is ready to rally in times of stress.

“We handle pressure situations really well,” she said, citing the come-from-behind freestyle relay victory at the 2007 Liberty League meet that moved the team up a spot from sixth to fifth place overall.

Love, who holds five individual College records and two relay records, is looking to go to nationals again this year. She is seeded third in the 500-yard freestyle, seventh in the 50-yard freestyle and first in the 100-yard backstroke.

But instead of focusing on her personal achievement, Love expressed support for the freshmen on the team.

“This is my third time,” said Love. “I already know how it goes. But I’m really excited to see the freshmen,” she said.

Samantha Jones is one such freshman. Jones will be competing in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100- and 200-yard backstroke.

“Jones has a great opportunity to be top eight in the 100-butterfly,” said Prater-Lee. She is seeded 14 in that event.

Jones’ ambitions for the meet are more modest, however. “I’d like to drop time in all my events. I think that’s everyone’s goal,” she said. “But I also want to have fun and not freak out and just be so nervous because it’s my first states.”

Prater-Lee recognized the critical contributions of individual athletes, but stressed that success ultimately hinges on more. “We have people in scoring positions, but it’s a team event,” she said. “It’s going to be the team that pushes each other forward.”

“We’re better, stronger than we were in the fall,” Prater-Lee said, noting that several team members were studying abroad in the fall. “Our freshmen have been through almost a whole season now, [we have] strong leadership in term of our upperclassmen. We’re ready,” she said.