Swimming Women Make Cecil Proud
By Joanne Sheng
Contributing Writer

The old Canadian saying, "never mess with a wet hen" has never rung truer than at this year's swimming SCIAC Championships, hosted by Pomona-Pitzer. Overall, the PP women placed second to CMS while the men's team claimed fifth. Although it was anticipated that the S'women Hens would capture first with their 7-0 record entering the championship meet, there is little to be disappointed about in terms of the team's overall performance.

Three school records were smashed at the Cerritos Olympic Swim Center in the women's 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, and 400 Medley Relay. Valerie Stout '05 dominated the pool with the winning times of 1:06.1 in the 100 breast and 2:24.01 in the 200. Stout's performance in the 100 earned her an 'A' cut time which automatically makes her eligible to compete at nationals; her 200 places her under a 'B' qualifying time. The champion 400 Medley Relay of Kathleen Foley '06, Michelle Adams '04, Lucia Schmit '03, and Stout made history with an impressive 4:02.74.

On the whole the women's team won twelve of the twenty events. Elana McDermott '06 was untouchable in the distance events of the 500 and 1650 freestyle with final times of 5:06.42 and 17:48.61, both placing her well under the 'B' cut times for nationals.

Licking her guns before vanquishing the competition was Foley, who swam lifetime bests in both the 100 and 200 backstroke with times of 1:00.49 and 2:11.23. Foley reasoned, "I think the whole CMS team was intimidated by my armpit-licking."

Both Individual Medley events were also dominated by the Hens, with Stout taking the 200 IM with a 'B' qualifying time of 2:11.57, followed by a second place finish of 2:13.55 by Schmit. Schmit later won the 400 IM with a 4:38.56, also a 'B' cut time. Donning a fashionable Hens cap was Lucy Keller '05 with a winning season best time of 1:56.73 in the 200 free.

Jessie Neufeld '03 had her first conference championships win in the form of the grueling 200 fly with a 2:15.56. Finally, Pomona-Pitzer's 800 Free Relay team of Keller, Schmit, McDermott, and Jennie Marble '05 stood proudly on the top of the awards podium boasting a swim of 7:55.78.

In addition to the outstanding number of wins, there were a total of 85 season bests and 53 lifetime swims from the entire team. "Our hard work has paid off," commented Elizabeth Wiggs '06. "We had to return early from break on January 2 to train but it was worth it."

Breastroker Stout was also honored on the final evening of the championship finals as the female SCIAC Swimmer of the Year. This prestigious award is given to the most outstanding swimmer in the entire conference. With an undefeated record in all of her individual conference events for the entire season, it came to no surprise that the conference coaches voted Stout the honor. "The thing I love best about swimming is the team atmosphere," remarked Stout, "The rest is just icing on the cake."

At least one swimmer place among the top ten in each event. Despite these extraordinary statistics the Hens came up short in bodies. Points for the meet were awarded up to the sixteenth place, with the person placing first earning twenty points down to one point for the sixteenth fastest swim. The Hens lost a significant number of points in most events between the sixth and twelfth places, a gaping average loss of 77 points out of the total 155 possible per event.

The team's sparkling work ethic certainly shined last week but it should be noted that these women are more than simply quasi-masochistic athletic machines - they also know how to have fun. On the third day of competition the junior class provided the team with small squirt guns. This notorious gift elicited numerous threats from opposing teams; nevertheless they acted as an effective form of stress relief.

Also vital toward the comfort of the swimmers was the constant support from family members, team managers, and alumni during the meet. Everything from new equipment bags to hotel door decorations made the championships a more pleasurable experience.

The nine swimmers of the men's team rose to the challenge of competing against strong teams, with each swimmer placing top twelve in at least one individual event. Ben Demarchelier '04 placed third in both the 100 fly with a time of 53.19 and the 100 free with a 47.73. Teammate Andy Vonasch '06 followed with fourth place finishes in the 100 and 200 breast, dropping to times of 1:00.43 and 2:12.9, respectively. Diver Dave Bates '05 delivered a solid performance placing third in the 3-meter and fourth in the 1-meter.

On the final evening of competition an emotional farewell ceremony was arranged in honor of the graduating senior classes from every team. Parting the Hens are Janetta Iwanicki, Marcia Holmes, Robin Kirschbaum, Neufeld, Schmit and divers Annie Lindberg and Tyler Elcano, "I am so proud of the senior class for their four years of dedication," noted Kirschbaum. "I will miss everyone and I wish them the best."

Exceptional swimming stands hand in hand with exceptional coaching. Head women's coach Dr. Penny Lee Dean showed incredible dedication to her team in and out of the pool and their respect and hard work reflect this. This incredible woman wrote 22 different taper workouts for 25 swimmers, all while setting everything up for the upcoming meet. Commenting on the team, Dean concluded, "they are a good team and they did everything I asked them to do."