MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Tufts women's swimming and diving foursome of junior Grace Goetcheus, first-year Mary Hufziger, sophomore Abby Claus, and senior Colleen Doolan opened the 2019 NESCAC Championship meet with a splash on Thursday night by setting a program-record in the 800 freestyle relay at Wesleyan University.
The Jumbos clocked a time of 7:28.71, which placed second overall at the meet behind Williams College. The time recorded by the Jumbos' A relay was almost eight seconds faster than the school-record time that the same foursome posted at the the MIT Invitational earlier this season (7:36.47). Friday's mark is currently top 10 in the country.
Jumbo sophomore Amy Socha, junior Hannah Truslow, and sophomores Katherine Sweetser and Sook-Hee Evans finished 13th overall as Tufts' B 800 freestyle relay touched in a 7:36.15 time. The Tufts B's had swam first and the time was a school record until the Tufts A team competed moments later. The B's were seventh-fastest in the event overall, but due to being the second Jumbo relay were placed behind all of the A relay finishers.
In the lead-off leg of the B relay, Socha's 1:52.63 was a new school record for the 200 freestyle. It lowered the previous mark of 1:53.24 held by Christine Garvey from 2013. Additionally, Goetcheus' 1:52.80 opening 200 free leg for the A relay is the second-best mark in Tufts history.
Both Jumbo marks on Friday were within the 7:39.30 NCAA B cut time, which puts them in consideration for the national championship meet.
Williams' team of Casey Delano, Alison McNamara, Abby Matheny, and Laura Westphal finished first (7:21.97) and got the Ephs 64 points. Connecticut College's foursome recorded a 7:28.97, which was good for third-place and 52 points.
Between the two Jumbo squads the brown and blue scored 78 points, which places them second after the first day. Williams is in first with 90 and Connecticut College finished the day in third with 72 points.
Tufts will be back at it tomorrow morning at 10 am when they compete in the second-day swimming trials. Friday's finals are scheduled for 6 pm.
Watch sophomore Amy Socha (lane 6) swim school-record 200 freestyle leg in 800 free relay ...
Recap Written By Athletic Communications Intern Bryan Costello
