MIDDLEBURY, VT - First-years Kelsey Gallagher and Anna Kimura joined sophomore diver Kylie Reiman in winning events as the Tufts women's swimming & diving team opened the season with a tri-meet at Middlebury College today. Keene State College also competed.
Though Tufts lost to both teams - 163.5 to 135.5 against Middlebury and 162-138 to Keene - the Jumbos had strong debuts by several newcomers and tri-captain Kathryn Coniglio led a good senior effort.
In their collegiate debuts, Gallagher won the 200 backstroke and Kimura was first in the 100 butterfly. Gallagher had a 2:10.88 time to win the 200 back after a solid 1:02.59 in the 100 back earlier for second place. Kimura won a race to the wall with Middlebury's Meg Griffin, reaching in 1:01.14 to 1:01.48.
Reiman nearly won both diving events. She was first in the three-meter event at 232.80 points, but lost off the one-meter board by just 1.05 points. Her 236.85 trailed Middlebury's Elissa DeNunzio's 237.90 total.
Coniglio scored at the top of four events for the Jumbos. Her best finish was a second in the 100 freestyle with a touch of 54.50 seconds. She also had an individual third for the 200 freestyle (1:59.44).
Both relays were anchored by Coniglio and had third-place times. The 200 medley led off by Gallagher followed by first-years Meghan Casey and Kimura before Coniglio had a 1:53.11 time. The 200 freestyle was a very tight race at the front with Tufts posting a 1:40.11 finish swum by first-year Jess Lee, sophomore Sophia Lin, senior tri-captain Scarlett Hao and Coniglio.
Casey and Lee added to the strong first-year showing at the meet. Casey was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke swimming a 1:09.60 time. Lee took third in the 50 sprint at 25.36 seconds.
Senior tri-captain Amanda Wachenfeld completed the 1,000 freestyle race in 11:09.96 for a third, the same place earned by sophomore Amanda Gottschalk in the 200 individual medley (2:16.23).
In head to head competition against Middlebury, the Jumbos' six wins were the most in years according to head coach Nancy Bigelow.
The Jumbos will return to action in two weeks at the MIT Invitational December 5-6.
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