WILLIAMSTOWN – Senior Jenny Hu of the Tufts women's swimming & diving team won her second conference title by tying for first in the 50 breaststroke race at the 2014 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships Friday night at Williams College's Samuelson-Muir Pool.
On the opening day of competition, Hu and Middlebury's Jamie Hillas recorded identical times of 29.10 seconds to tie for the 50 breast championship. Hu adds the win to her 100 breaststroke NESCAC title last season with a 1:05.15 time.
A three-year All-NESCAC performer entering the meet, Hu was third in the preliminaries with a 29.78 time that narrowly broke her own school record of 29.83 from 2012. She improved that mark with the 29.10 final. The time was a pool record. Middlebury's Hillas had won the prelims with a 29.34 tie.
Tufts had three swimmers in the top 16 of the 50 breast overall. Laura Cui placed 12th (31.40) and Ellen Gage took 14th at 31.91 seconds.
Junior Sam Sliwinski posted a top five finish in the 50 freestyle. Her time of 24.26 seconds was fifth overall. She had been sixth in the preliminary (24.33).
Head coach Nancy Bigelow's Jumbos reached the finals in four events overall. The Jumbos were seventh in the 200 freestyle relay. Hu, Sliwinski, Sophia Lin and Kathryn Coniglio earned a spot in the final with a 1:38.42 for sixth in the prelims. The order of Sliwinski, Lin, Hu and Coniglio then went 1:37.87 in the final.
To close the day's swimming, Kelsey McEvoy, Hu, Cassidy Hubert and Coniglio swam 3:57.96 for eighth place in the 400 medley relay.
Tufts is seventh overall after one day with 287.5 points. Williams College leads with 663 points. The second day begins tomorrow with the preliminaries at 10 am.
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