In the last individual event of the evening, 100-Yard Breaststroke, Yifei Wu ’18, Emily Warren ’21, and Graeleigh Jones ’21 claimed the second, third, and fourth places in times of 1:12.41, 1:13.41, and 1:14.89 minutes, respectively, to clinch Andover’s first win of the season.
Andover placed swimmers in the top three in multiple events, showcasing its speed and depth. In the first event of the meet, 200-Yard Medley Relay, the A-Relay team of Co-Captain Emma Donchi ’18, Co-Captain Allyson Ty ’18, Angelreana Choi ’19, and Warren finished in second with a time of 1:54.09 minutes.
The highlight of the first half of the meet was Ty’s first place in the 50-Yard Free in a time of 25.47 seconds, which helped Andover tie up the score, 31-31.
In the diving well, Reese Pelletier ’20 dove for an event win, with 239.85 points. Claire Davis ’20 and Ora Cullen ’19 finished third and fourth place, respectively, pushing Andover into the lead.
In the second half of the meet, Macey Mannion ’19 and Hailey Wadell ’21 claimed the top two spots in the 500-Yard Freestyle, finishing in times of 5:34.54 and 5:36.14 minutes, respectively.
According to Co-Captain Jess Gearan ’18, the biggest challenge was the limited practice time before the meet as new swimmers needed to adjust to the dynamic. However, Gearan said, “Our times were fast and will only improve with more practice time.”
Ty wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “Being able to swim as we did despite our short training period really shows how much potential we have as a team, and I am so excited to see how this season goes.”
According to Donchi, Andover had great team spirit and supported one another throughout the meet. “The support and encouragement shown at the meet was awesome,” said Donchi.
Gearan said, “There was definitely a positive, encouraging atmosphere on the deck. Everyone put in their best effort and supported one another through a lot of cheering.”
Andover is already looking ahead to further competitions and are prepared to work to improve its aerobic base and fixing details in its starts.
Donchi said, “In the coming weeks we plan to build our endurance during practice as well as work on our start technique.”
“I cannot wait to watch us improve as the season progresses. The team has amazing energy thus far and I am excited to see where this season takes us,” added Donchi.
Andover will travel to Loomis Chaffee next Saturday for its first away meet.
