Blue Swimming and Diving Wraps Up Busy Weekend at MIT Invitational

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Wellesley College swimming and diving closed out their first semester schedule on Sunday evening following a busy weekend at the three-day MIT Invitational. The Blue finished second in the eight team field that also included host MIT, Bowdoin, Harvard, Keene State, SUNY New Paltz, Tufts, and Wheaton. 

Highlighting the event for the Blue, junior Dorothy Ren captured an NCAA B-Cut with her second place finish time of 57.03 in the 100-fly on Sunday, trailing only Shori Hijikata of Harvard.

In diving, first year Maura Sticco-Ivins swept both the one and three meter competitions. Sticco-Ivins defeated Cassie Corneau of Harvard in both, recording a score of 264.70 in the one meter and 258.35 in the three meter. Sophomore Maddie Stern grabbed fourth in the one meter while first year Emily Moore took third in three meter as the Blue delivered a commanding display in diving.

Day One

Wellesley's 'A' team of Ren, first year Patricia Chen, junior Charlotte Harris and Senior Keelin Nave opened the weekend with a time of 7:53.44 in the 800-free relay, earning the Blue a top-five finish in Friday's first event. The 'B' team of seniors Tiffany Chen and Grace Bachman and first years Fiona Chung and Lindsey Wu finished tenth overall in the event with a time of 8:21.88. Tiffany Chen then capped her night by recording a time of 19:39.22 in the 1650-Free.

Day Two

On Saturday, Ren, first year Lindsay Wu, Harris and Nave opened the day with a sixth place finish in the 200-free relay, touching the wall with a time of 1:39.72 in the event's A-Final. In the B-Final senior Gabby Cooper-Vespa, Bachman, Chung and Patricia Chen combined to earn the final points available in the event with a time of 1:45.14.

Nave earned the Blue's next top-five finish in the 200-fly, taking fourth place with a time on 2:10.99 in the A-Final. Sophomore Sarah May and Bachman also grabbed points for the Blue in the 200-fly B-Final, with May finishing eleventh overall at 2:17.90 and Bachman taking fourteenth with a time of 2:22.67.

Harris and Ren returned to earn a pair of top-ten times in the A-Final of the 200-free, with Harris touching the wall with a time of 1:56.16 for an eighth place time and Ren grabbing tenth with a time of 1:57.90. Harris then continued her strong showing on Saturday with a top-ten time in the A-Final of the 100-breaststroke, recording a time on 1:07.61 to take sixth place in the events A-Final.

Ren then grabbed a top-five time in the A-Final of the 100-back, finishing third thanks to her time of 58.68 before Wu took home the top time on the B-Final of the 400-IM, touching the wall at 4:54.91 to take eleventh overall in the event. Nave grabbed the Blue's final individual top-ten time on Saturday with a time of 24.94 in the 50-free.

Ren, Harris, Nave and Patricia Chen closed out Saturday with a top-five time of 4:02.26 in the 400-medley relay, as the Blue 'A' team earned 20 points in the event. Wellesley's 'B' team of Chung, Sophia Dillon-Davidson, Erin Yang and Bachman also earned the Blue points with a twelfth place finish and a time of 4:17.92. 

Day Three

On Sunday, Tiffany Chen, Dillon-Davidson, May and Wu combined for a second place finish in the B-Final of the 200-medley relay with a time of 1:58.84. They grabbed the final points available in the event and finished just ahead of the Wellesley team of Chung, Yang, Bachman and Cooper-Vespa, who recorded a time of 1:58.40.

Nave and Harris returned on the invitational's third day to again grab a pair of top-ten finishes, this time in the 500-free. Nave came in sixth place in the A-Final with a time of 5:09.96. Harris finished ninth at 5:21.80.  

Chung tallied the Blue' top time in the 200-back, finishing fifth in the B-Final and fifteenth overall with a time of 2:20.61. Tiffany Chen finished seventeenth with a time of 2:25.12. 

Both Ren and Nave carried the Blue to top-five finishes 100-fly. Along with Ren's B-Cut time, Nave also grabbed fifth with a time of 58.32. Ren also recorded the Blue's top time in the 200-IM, finishing seventh with a time of 2:12.88. 

In the 200-breaststroke, Harris and and Wu finished seventh and eighth in the A-Final. Harris recorded a time of 2:31.21 while Wu tied for eight at 2:31.26. Harris then reunited with Patricia Chen, Ren and Nave closed out the day for the Blue with a fourth place finish in the 400-free relay. They combined for a time of 3:38.72.

Wellesley swimming and diving will return in the new year when they host New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference rivals Babson and Coast Guard at 4:00 PM on January 7th, 2015 at Chandler Pool.