Blue Swimming & Diving Leads Field on Day One at Seven Sisters

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- The Wellesley College swimming and diving team is halfway to its 17th-straight Seven Sisters Championship. The Blue sit in first place after day one of competition at the two-day event, hosted by Vassar College.

Wellesley earned three individual and four relay All-Seven awards on day one. The Blue's depth also carried the squad to a significant lead in the team standings. Wellesley amassed 865.5 total points, sitting in first place, ahead of Mount Holyoke (548.50), Vassar (438), Smith (371), and Bryn Mawr (195).

Wellesley's relays were unbeatable on day one, as the Blue grabbed four relay victories in four events. Leading the way was Wellesley's 800-yard freestyle relay that smashed a Seven Sisters record. Sophomore Grace Bachman, senior Mariam Amirkhanashvili, sophomore Charlotte Harris, and senior Keelin Nave paired up to swim an 8:01.65, topping the previous best (8:08.95 - Wellesley - 2012) by over seven seconds.

Wellesley finished 1-2 in the 200-medley relay, with another Seven Sisters record under its belt. First-year Sharon Wu, Harris, first-year Sarah May, and sophomore Dorothy Ren paired up to swim a 1:50.97, topping a six-year old Seven Sisters record (1:53.83 - Wellesley - 2007). Also in the 200-medley relay, senior Emma Mrkonic, sophomore Erin Yang, sophomore Suman Kumar, and senior Lindsey Shepardson teamed up to finish second in a time of 1:55.20. 

In the 200-freestyle relay, Wellesley's winning time was just .19 from the Seven Sisters record. The Blue's Ren, Mrkonic, May, and Amirkhanashvili combined for a winning time of 1:40.72. Rounding out Wellesley's relay wins, in the 400-medley relay, the Blue's winning entry came from senior Gabriela Kovacikova, Yang, sophomore Theresa Mitchell, and sophomore Ieva Galinyte. The foursome combined for a time of 4:12.85. 

Individually, three Wellesley swimmers touched first to earn All-Seven Sisters honors. In the 200-free, Wellesley's Nave recorded a winning time of 1:55.50, surpassing a 27-year old meet record. Her mark topped Columbia's Anna Martens time of 1:55.80, which has stood since 1986. 

Also earning individual All-Seven Sisters accolades were Amirkhanashvili and Wu. Amirkhanashvili nabbed a win for the Blue in the 50-free, swimming a 25.39. Wu touched first in the 100-back, clocking in at 59.20, in her first Seven Sisters Championship.

In the 500-free event, Wellesley had five swimmers in the top-six. Nave led the way for the Blue with a 5:09.92, followed by first-year Leah Furman (5:18.26), Bachman (5:22.97), Galinyte (5:23.63) and Harris (5:27.51). Wellesley was similarly dominant in the 100-fly, earning seven of the top-10 places. Ren (58.81) and May (59.24) led the group, that also included Amirkhanashvili (1:00.63), Kovacikova (1:02.04), Kumar (1:02.47), Mitchell (1:02.47), and Bachman (1:02.52).

Wellesley swimmers also clogged up the top of the standings in the 200-free, as the Blue grabbed seven of the top eight spots. Nave's Seven Sisters record won the event, followed by Harris (2:00.24), Bachman (2:01.59), Amirkhanashvili (2:01.99), Galinyte (2:02.80), Furman (2:02.81), and Hamilton (2:06.16). 

In the 200-IM, two Wellesley swimmers finished in the top-five, as Ren was third in 2:12.56, and May was fourth in 2:17.50. In the 100-back, Ren placed second (1:00.20), while Mrkonic added a third place finish (1:01.62). Wellesley also had two in the top-three n the 100-breast, as Harris was second in 1:10.15 (just .01 off of first), and Yang finished third (1:12.17).

Amirkhanashvili won the 50-free, while Wellesley's Mrkonic (26.16) and May (26.16) also earned top-five places in the event. In the 400-IM, Wellesley's Galinyte took third (4:51.15), while senior Anne Hamilton (5:05.27) and sophomore Tiffany Chen (5:05.55) were fifth and sixth.

Rounding out day one action, Wellesley entered just one diver in the meet, recording a second-place finish. On the one-meter event, Wellesley first-year Maddie Stern took runner-up honors at her first Seven Sisters Championship, earning 369.45 points. 

The event continues tomorrow morning with the three-meter diving event beginning at 9:30am. The final swimming session will begin at 12:15pm. 

2014 Seven Sisters Swimming & Diving Championships
Hosted by Vassar College 

All-Seven Sisters Team
200 Free Relay - Wellesley - Ren, Mrkonic, May, Amirkhanashvili - 1:40.72
500 Free - Mount Holyoke - Cathleen Pruden - 5:05.97
200 IM - Mount Holyoke - Cathleen Pruden - 2:09.32
50 Free - Wellesley - Mariam Amirkhanashvili - 25.39
400 Medley Relay - Wellesley - Kovacikova, Yang, Mitchell, Galinyte - 4:12.85
1 Meter Diving - Smith - Cecelia Arrison - 403.95
200 Medley Relay - Wellesley - Wu, Harris, May, Ren - 1:50.99
400 IM - Mount Holyoke - Cathleen Pruden - 4:29.55
100 Fly - Vassar - Julia Cunningham - 58.00
200 Free - Wellesley - Keelin Nave - 1:55.50
100 Back - Wellesley - Sharon Wu - 59.20
100 Breast - Smith - Olivia Bannon - 1:10.14
800 Free Relay - Wellesley - Bachman, Amirkhanashvili, Harris, Nave - 8:01.65

Standings (After Day One) 
1 - Wellesley - 865.5
2 - Mount Holyoke - 548.5
3 - Vassar - 438
4 - Smith - 371
5 - Bryn Mawr - 195