Wheaton secures best finish at 2005 NEWMAC Swimming and Diving Championship, Lyons place fourth overall

February 20, 2005

WELLESLEY, MA- The Wheaton College women's swimming and diving team secured its best finish at a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship this weekend at Wellesley College, as the Lyons captured fourth place with 417.50 points.

Breaking nine school records at Chandler Pool, Wheaton trailed champion Springfield College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and host Wellesley. Under second-year head coach J.P. Gowdy, the Lyons have posted their two highest placements at a NEWMAC meet since the inaugural championship held in 1999.

Wheaton posted three NEWMAC All-Conference second team performances during the meet, including freshman Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) placing second in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly events and sophomore Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) taking second in the 200-yard butterfly event.

The Lyons concluded the meet's first day of action with three school records and a fourth-place standing among the ten schools. Pratt was a part of all three Wheaton marks, including her runner-up finish in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.94. Freshman Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) provided valuable points by placing third in the event in 25.16.

In the two record-breaking relays, Pratt, Miller, senior Amanda Berthelette (Milford, NH/Milford) and sophomore Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) captured third in the 400-yard medley in 4:08.49, while Pratt, Miller, senior Blake Worrall (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and junior Courtney Catalano (Westford, MA/Westford) placed fifth in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:41.14.

Highlighting Saturday's events was Pratt's second NEWMAC All-Conference performance in addition to a pair more school records falling by the wayside. Pratt took second in the 100-yard butterfly finals with a time of 1:00.70 and during the trials of that event broke a school record in 1:00.61. She then swam a leg on Wheaton's 200-yard medley relay team, joining Berthelette, Bohn and Miller, as the foursome shattered the program mark with a time of 1:53.50.

Berthelette was also impressive in the 100-yard backstroke event, placing third overall with a time of 1:01.73. Sophomore Katie McNicholas (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro) landed a fourth-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley, finishing in a school-record time of 4:49.16, while Smith captured fifth overall in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:02.07.

In the meet's final day of competition, Smith captured her NEWMAC All-Conference honor in the 200-yard butterfly in a Wheaton-best 2:15.73, while Pratt accounted for a tie for third in the 100-yard freestyle with a school-best time of 54.60. Bohn was fifth in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:35.61, while Worrall, Smith, Pratt and Miller finished fifth in the 400-yard freestyle relay, breaking last year's school record with a time of 3:43.23.

Following is a complete list of the top 16 individual and relay finishers for Wheaton over the three-day competition of the NEWMAC Championship:

Individual
Name Event Time Place
Abby Pratt 50 freestyle 24.94* 2nd
Abby Pratt 100 butterfly 1:00.70 2nd
Colleen Smith 200 butterfly 2:15.73* 2nd
Meg Miller 50 freestyle 25.16 3rd
Amanda Berthelette 100 backstroke 1:01.73 3rd
Abby Pratt 100 freestyle 54.60* T-3rd
Katie McNicholas 400 individual medley 4:49.16* 4th
Colleen Smith 100 butterfly 1:02.07 5th
Cassie Bohn 200 breaststroke 2:35.61 5th
Cassie Bohn 100 breaststroke 1:12.78 7th
Amanda Berthelette 200 backstroke 2:17.02 7th
Katie McNicholas 200 breaststroke 2:36.47 7th
Meg Miller 100 freestyle 55.38 8th
Meg Miller 200 freestyle 2:00.83 9th
Katie McNicholas 200 individual medley 2:18.16 9th
Lauren Pcholinski 1,650 freestyle 19:14.97 9th
Blake Worrall 100 butterfly 1:02.67 10th
Cassie Bohn 200 individual medley 2:19.22 10th
Colleen Smith 100 backstroke 1:05.84 14th
Kristen Behrens 200 breaststroke 2:42.41 14th
Lauren Pcholinski 500 freestyle 5:33.16 14th
Kelly Allinson 1,650 freestyle 19:23.41 14th
Kristen Behrens 100 breaststroke 1:15.84 15th
Lauren Pcholinski 200 freestyle 2:07.13 16th

Name Event Score Place
Elizabeth Slavin 1m dive 227.35 16th

Relay
Name Event Time Place
Berthelette, Bohn, Pratt, Miller 200 medley relay 1:53.50* 3rd
Berthelette, Bohn, Pratt, Miller 400 medley relay 4:08.49* 3rd
Pratt, Worrall, Catalano, Miller 200 freestyle relay 1:41.14* 5th
Pratt, Worrall, Smith, Miller 400 freestyle relay 3:43.23* 5th
Worrall, McNicholas, Bohn, Pcholinski 800 freestyle relay 8:29.26 7th
Smith, McNicholas, Berthelette, McKay 200 freestyle relay 1:46.79 12th
Smith, McNicholas, Worrall, Behrens 400 medley relay 4:22.33 13th
Allinson, Catalano, McVay, Behrens 800 freestyle relay 8:36.66 13th
McKay, Catalano, Pcholinski, McNicholas 400 freestyle relay 3:54.74 14th
Smith, Bassaleh, Catalano, McKay 200 medley relay 1:59.64 15th

* Denotes school record

Complete Results

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News Headlines

Pratt becomes first women's swimming and diving academic all-district honoree in program history (more)

Three women's swimmers named to NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team (more)

Wheaton women's swimming's final record receives adjustment (more)

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