Vassar makes splash at Liberty League championships

Hard work pays off. The new training regimen adopted by the women and men's swimming and diving teams proved to be successful as the squads placed fourth and fifth, respectively, at the Liberty League Championships on Dec. 4 and 5 in Rochester, N.Y.
The women's team matched last season's finish by landing in fourth place once again with 408 points. The Brewers came in behind top finishers University of Rochester, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Union College, as Interim Head Coach Paul Kueterman predicted.

Although the team was without Head Coach Lisl Prater-Lee and several standout swimmers who had either graduated or were studying abroad, the Brewers garnered impressive feats all around. Kueterman noted that "it [will be] hard to replace [graduated seniors] Emily Love and Allison Koenker, but the team will need to step up." For juniors Ilene Goodman, Samantha Jones and Melisa Brower, the League Championships served as the athletes' final opportunity to showcase their progress before leaving to study abroad next semester. The team certainly answered the call and rose to the challenge.

Between the two days of championship racing, Caroline Shannon '12 tallied four top-four individual finishes in addition to leading two relay teams that each came in fourth place. Teammate Shannon Sara '13 was the top seed in the 400 IM, 200 Freestyle and 500 Freestyle going in to the race on Friday. Sara finished fifth in the 500 Freestyle on the first day and added a sixth place finish in the 200 Breaststroke the following day. Jones secured third and fourth place finishes in her individual races, as well.

Diver Amelia Couture '12 placed 15th. This season, she was joined by two freshman newcomers Christie Musket and Carolyn McLean, who placed 11th and 14th, respectively. The men's swimming and diving team closed out the fall portion of their season with a fifth place finish out of seven Liberty League teams. Jack Smart '12 was seeded first in the 400 IM upon entering the race and managed to snag a second place finish in both the 400 IM and 200 Breaststroke on the final day of competition. Smart also placed fifth in the 100 Breaststroke.  Classmate Greg Sullivan '12 had an impressive showing on the diving board that landed him in second place for the one- and three-meter events. Swimmer Jeremy Shiman '10 tallied three top-10 finishes in the final League Championship of his college career. Vassar freshmen Nicholas Veazie and Mathue Duhaney also had top-10 finishes in their League Championship debuts.

While Prater-Lee is on sabbatical, Kueterman has been able to take the reins and put his personal stamp on the swimming and diving programs. Kueterman was thankful for the "great opportunity" that has "allowed [him] to grow" in conjunction with his fellow coaches, Erica Ellis and Tom Albright. In the week leading up to the Liberty League Championships, Kueterman put a new taper-rest, conditioning program in place for the teams. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the past week, the team had morning lifting sessions immediately followed by a pool workout. The athletes then returned for a second session in the afternoon. On Tuesday and Thursday, the team simply had afternoon practices. After speaking to the team at the end of last season, "it seemed to resonate that they all wanted to get better," Kueterman said. "There is no question that this program has helped us and led to good results."

During winter break, the Brewers will get together in Plantation, Fla. for their annual training trip where they aim to improve upon their current standings. The team will be joined by teammate Marissa Mandel '11 who is currently studying abroad in Israel. "It will be nice that she can join the team this year in some capacity," Kueterman commented. With commitment from all swimmers, both on campus and abroad, the team hopes to triumph at the upcoming State Championships.