Avery Martin- Contributor
The women’s swim and dive team won their fourth straigh NE10 Championship on Feb. 18.
They recorded a score of 1061.5, finishing ahead of Bentley University, which had 756.5. This is the Owls’ 16th win of the conference championships, and the 13th year since 2003 in which both the men and women swept the title.
The Owls secured 29 medals over the course of four days. Freshman Molly Kennedy won seven gold at her first conference championship. She said that the meet was a test of endurance and stamina.
“I enjoyed it. I’ve never done more than a one-day championship,” Kennedy said. “So, going four days straight was really different for me, especially since I swam on all four of the days.”
Besides Kennedy, stand out athletes included Hailey Nyquist, a junior, with six medals, Justice Glasgox, a junior, with five, Brooke Keeney, a junior, with four and Arianna Arturi, a junior, with four. The Owls also swept the 200 yard butterfly podium, with gold going to Jasmine Urrichio, a sophmore, silver to Paola Castillo, a sophomore, and bronze to Glasgow.
Bronze medals were also earned in the freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke events by Uricchio, Kali Dominguez, a sophomore, Allyson Quitos, a freshman, Gracie Marsh, a senior, Ella Marzec and Lindsay McCawley, juniors.
Glasgow and Nyquist will both be heading to the NCAA Division II National Championships in March in Ohio.
The team relays were particularly successful, with five relay teams winning the gold. The Owls also saw success particularly in the freestyle and medley events.
Outside of the podium, several athletes also placed in the top 10 in their respective finals. Arturi, Julia Pitchell, a sohpmore, Emma St. Hilaire, a freshman, Quitos, Zoe McNeil, a freshman, Natalie Weier, a junior, and Abigail Lyons, a freshman, all recorded top 10 finishes.
Head Coach Tim Quill attributes the team’s dominance to their hard work and team bond.
“It is one team working together. The men are supporting the women; the women are supporting the men. I just really applaud them for a really, really great team performance,” Quill said.
Keeney also believes that winning is tied to perseverance and putting in the hours in the pool.
“Our program is built, not bought. I really like that because we put in the work every day, and we don’t just buy talent. People really show what they’re worth,” Keeney said.
That hard work is shown through 20 hours of training per week when the team is in-season. Quill said that work outside the pool is just as important as what is done in it.
“It’s the training that really plays a role. And it’s not just the work in the water, it’s work in the weight room, dry land activities, team meetings,” Quill said.
The Owls are already looking to next season, which starts in the fall, and the next NE10 Championships. Preparing is a year-round endeavor, and athletes train during the summer break as well. However, they say this is necessary to build a winning team.
“It’s a year-long process, and we’ve been very fortunate that it has worked in our favor. We don’t take these things for granted. We don’t take one season for granted,” Quill said.
