The swimming and diving teams cruised past the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Bees last weekend, with both the men's and women's teams picking up easy victories in their second straight dual meet wins of the season. Both teams are 2-1 on the year.
The men won by a margin of 99-77, while the women topped the Bees 120-79.
The meet started with a bang as the Eagles claimed all top four spots in the women's 200-yard medley relay, with Emory's D team topping SCAD's A team by less than a second.
The Emory A team, who won the event, consisted of sophomore Ellie Thompson, freshman Annelise Kowalsky, freshman Kristine Rosenberger and freshman Claire Liu.
The men's 200-yard medley A team of senior Ross Spock, sophomore Andrew Wilson, senior Matthew O'Brien and freshman Ryan Bass followed in similar fashion, topping the Bees' A Team by over four seconds.
Junior McKenna Newsum-Schoenberg started strong in the individual events, winning the women's 100-yard freestyle with a time of 10 :25.46. Freshman Mitchell Cooper took the event for the men with a time of 9:47.97.
It took all the way to the meet's sixth event for SCAD to win an event, when Bees' senior Pat Cardillo captured the men's 200 yard freestyle. Spock and Liu responded by winning the and women's 50-yard freestyles, respectively.
The Eagles swept the 110-yard butterfly events as well, with junior Nina Zook and O'Brien each capturing first place.
The final scores were deceiving. The Eagles swam unseeded in many of the final individual events, allowing the Bees to make up some ground on the scoreboard. Between the men's and women's teams, he Bees earned over 80 points in events in which the Eagles earned none.
The men and women both closed the meet in impressive fashion, claiming the 200-yard freestyle relay. The women's team of freshman Marissa Bergh, senior Suzanne Lemberg, junior Dana Holt and junior Nancy Larson turned in a time of 1:38.00, while senior Jake Stephens, sophomore Matt Kuhlik, senior Ryan Bass and freshman John Roberts clocked in at 1:25.79.
It was a dominant performance on the whole, the Eagles claiming first place in 17 of the meet's 22 events and winning all four relays. The men and women combined for four NCAA 'B' cut times, with junior Brooke Woodward earning one in the 400 yard IM, while Kowalsky, senior Kylie McKenzie and Wilson all made the mark in the 100-yard breaststroke.
The team's performances boded well for their title aspirations. It's still early in the season, but the women's team is attempting to defend their national title while the men's team is seeking to improve on their third-place national finish.
For their efforts, Wilson and Kowalsky were named UAA Swimmers of the Week. Wilson, an All-American, won three events on the day, while Kowalsky won two.
Howell named Wilson and Kowalsky among the many athletes that have stood out for the Eagles thus far.
"It's been a pretty balanced group," he said. "Annelise has been really strong. [...] A lot of the underclassmen have been good because of the support they've received from the upperclassmen."
He continued: "On the men's side, Ross Spock is a real competitor for us. Andrew Wilson has been great."
The Eagles will face a much more challenging test next when they travel to Athens to face the University of Georgia Bulldogs on Friday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m.
Howell complemented the Bulldogs for their talent, citing their women's team winning a national championship last season and the perennial strength of their men's team.
"It's like night and day," Howell said. "We're in a sport where we're defined by times. It's less of a win or lose situation. Whether we're against UGA or SCAD, we can look at that."
The Bulldogs won't be a measuring stick for Emory but instead another opportunity to better themselves and their times. C'est la vie for the title-contending Eagles.
– By Ryan Smith
Photo courtesy of Emory Athletics
