Wellesley Swim & Dive Defeats Babson, Falls to Coast Guard in Double-Dual

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College swimming & diving defeated cross town rival Babson College, 179-59, but dropped a 147-90 decision to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in the annual double-dual between the three schools on Thursday afternoon at Chandler Pool. Coast Guard defeated Babson, 171-55, in the other match-up.

Wellesley senior diver Maura Sticco-Ivins (Framingham, Mass.) paced the Blue with victories on both the one and three-meter boards. Sticco-Ivins scored 305.95 to win the one-meter, before concluding her day with a winning score of 327.60 on the three-meter. First year Noelle Bergere (Madison, Conn.) was second in both events, scoring 258.35 on the one-meter and 255.80 on the three-meter. 

The Blue, now 4-3 overall in dual meets this season, opened the afternoon with a second place showing in the 400 Yard Medley Relay, with the relay of junior Sunny Chiang (Troy, Mich.), sophomore Danielle Peterson (Livingston, N.J.), junior Jessie Feng (Princeton, N.J.), and first year Emily Yeager (Pittsfield, Mass.) trailing first place Coast Guard by just under two seconds with a time of 4:10.78. Wellesley's B relay, of first years Solveig Stensland (Lino Lakes, Minn.) and Jessica Wu (Palo Alto, Calif.), sophomore Maggie Haley (Shady Side, Mich.), and junior Crystal Zhu (Chelmsford, Mass.) added a fifth place time of 4:21.73.

Wellesley's Kayleigh Svensson (Palo Alto, Calif.) went on to lead the Blue in the 1000 Yard Freestyle in 11:31.35, as the sophomore outpaced the Beavers but took third place behind a pair of Coast Guard swimmers. Svensson's time was her best of the season in the distance event, as she shaved three seconds off her mark of 11:34.60 from the Blue's dual with Simmons earlier this year. 

Junior Francesca Dong (Princeton Junction, N.J.) led a 3-4-5 Wellesley finish in the 200 Yard Freestyle, finishing in 2:14.81. First year Annika Walker (Lafayette, Calif.) and junior Veronica Pawlik (Teaneck, N.J.) followed with times of 2:15.42 and 2:15.62, respectively. The Blue went on to finish 2-3-4 in the 50 Yard Freestyle sprint, as junior Crystal Zhu (Chelmsford, Mass.) powered to a runner-up time of 26.15. Senior Patricia Chen (Natick, Mass.) followed her teammate closely in 26.42, while junior Claire Whitaker (Annapolis, Md.) was fourth in 27.77.

Chiang ended the first half of the meet with a runner-up time for the Blue in the 200 IM, finishing heat two in 2:19.80. Wellesley first year Margaret Harrigan (Chatham, N.J.) was the runner-up in the opening heat in 2:21.86. 

Following one-meter diving, Feng added another second place time for the Blue in the 100 Yard Freestyle. Harrigan would also added a runner-up time in the second half of the meet, as Wellesley finished second and third in the 200 Yard Breatstroke behind times of 2:43.92 from Harrigan and 2:48.13 from sophomore Sarah Gladstone (Brookline, Mass.).

Dong, Pawlik, and Svensson went on to finish third in the 100 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Backstroke, and 500 Yard Freestyle, respectively. Dong clocked in at 1:00.72 to lead a 3-4-5 Wellesley finish that also included Whitaker and first year Elizabeth Nicholson (Highstown, N.J.). Pawlik finished the 200 Breast in 2:28.24 just ahead of teammates Walker and Yeager, while Svensson ended her day with a time of 5:37.65 in the 500 Free. 

The Blue closed out the meet with a victory in the 200 Yard Freestyle Realy, with Haley, Whitaker, Zhu, and Pawlik combining to finish in 1:47.04. 

Wellesley will return to Chandler Pool on Saturday, January 13, for a 1:00 PM dual meet versus Seven Sisters rival Smith College.