By Chelsea Cabral, Staff Writer
The UMass Dartmouth men’s and women’s swimming and diving team took to the pool last week against the Roger Williams University Hawks on Saturday, November 12, and were ultimately defeated while hosting the meet at home in the Tripp Athletic Center.
The women’s team fell short with an overall score of 69-164 while the men earned an overall score of 74-157.
Roger Williams’ women’s team rounded up an impressive eleven wins over the Corsairs. Senior Corsair Kaya Flanagan of Fairhaven, Mass. and junior corsair Chrissy Deveaux of North Andover, Mass. were able to produce of pair of second place finishes.
Flanagan swam a time of 2:06.97 in the 200-yard free, and was just tenths of a second shy behind the first-place swimmer, Roger Williams’ Allison Surian. Flanagan also timed in a 1:04.71 finish in the 100-yard fly.
Deveaux, who swam in the 1000-yard free for the first time this season, clocked in a time of 11:37.19, and then took second place in the 500-yard free finishing with a time of 5:37.29.
Also, 18 year old freshman Corsair Sarah Murphy of Braintree, Mass. also garnered a second place finish, swimming the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:22.72 following 22 year old Hawk Andrea Almandoz who clocked in 2:17.96, winning first place.
Murphy then teamed up with Flanagan, Deveaux and Brienna Harrison of Lakeville, Mass. to place second in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 4:25.41.
In spite of the defeats the women’s swim team encountered, it was senior Kendra Hebert whose incredible score in the 1 meter diving event effortlessly outdid the other five divers, as she shattered the school record of 244.85 with a stellar score of 250.94.
She was then followed by teammate Abigail Roberts of Danielson, Conn. who posted a score of 185 to place second.
Hebert then went on to place first again in the 3 meter event, reaching nearly 250 again with a score of 249.07 to effortlessly sweep both diving events. Hebert’s successful wins were a definitive and crucial moment in the swim meet.
Meanwhile, the men garnered four first place finishes that afternoon, with first-year David Adamski of Wilbraham, Mass. gathering in two of those first place wins.
Adamski claimed victory in the 200-yard free with a time of 1:50.04, and later collected a first place win in the 500-yard free finishing with a time of 5:09.49.
Senior Corsair Kevin Curley of Raynham, Mass. also followed suit by claiming the 50-yard free in season-best fashion in 22.61, while Brian McCauley of Franklin, Mass. won the 1,000-yard free in 11:29.34, shaving off three seconds of his previous season time in the same event.
And to conclude the swim meet, the men placed second in the 200-yard free relay as Curley, Adamski, freshman Kyle MacKenzie of Londonderry, N.H. and sophomore Anthony Toscano of Massapequa, N.Y. tripped the timer at 1:34.10.
The swimming and diving teams will return to the pool on Saturday, November 19, at 1 p.m. where they will travel to Elms College to compete in a dual meet. Go Corsairs!