Powered by two wins, the William & Mary women's swimming team took the early lead on Thursday at the West Virginia Invitational after the first day of action. The Tribe leads the seven-team event with 406 points, just ahead of host West Virginia with 402 points.
200 Free Relay
The evening session started with the 200 free relay, where W&M's top team took second in 1:33.08, the 13th-fastest race ever in school history. Sophomore
Missy Cundiff (Leesburg, Va.) led-off with a season-best 22.90 in the first spot, before
Anna Kenna (Chantilly, Va.),
Katie Stevenson (Wilton, Conn.), and
Megan Bull (Hillsborough, N.J.) followed in turn to grab the silver medal. The Tribe's second team, including
Sonora Baker (Mechanicsville, Va.),
Margaret Williams (Williamsburg, Va.),
Brooke Lamoureux (Virginia Beach, Va.), and
Inez Olszewski (New York, N.Y.) was seventh in 1:36.13 to add 46 more points to the team total.
500 Free
Bull was the top seed after this morning's prelims in the 500 free, and lived up to that billing in the finals with a big win in 4:51.16. That was the 11th-fastest race in school history, and the fastest time in the CAA this season.
Grace Tramack (Palo Alto, Calif.) and
Elizabeth Intihar (Columbus, Ohio) were fourth and fifth, in 4:57.68 and 4:59.04, respectively, while
Tara Tiernan (West Hartford, Conn.) was eighth in 5:01.26. Olszewski swam 5:03.53 for 15th overall, with senior
Norah Hunt (Stuarts Draft, Va.) taking 18th in 5:02.44. Freshman
Kim Jogis (Larchmont, N.Y.) and senior
Yuka Kuwahara (Ashburn, Va.) rounded out the lineup in 22nd and 24th, respectively, timing 5:05.83 and 5:11.48.
200 IM
In the 200 IM, freshman
Peyton Proffitt (Richmond, Va.) led the way for W&M in 10th place overall, timing 2:05.94. Senior
Julia Bland (Sea Girt, N.J.) was one second back in 12th place, just ahead of freshman
Maura Graff (Henrico, Va.) who swam 2:07.04 for 13th. Sophomore
Ellie Henry (Southern Pines, N.C.) added 12 points in 15th place with a time of 2:09.00, and Lamoureux was right behind her in 16th, stopping the clock in 2:09.71. Freshman
Annie Tuttle (Alexandria, Va.) swam a lifetime-best by more than 1.7 seconds to take 19th in 2:08.30, and
Gabby Zhang (Ashburn, Va.) won the D finals in 2:08.12 for 25th overall. Juniors
Madeline High (Raleigh, N.C.) , 27th in 2:09.51, and
Diana Tramontano (Greenwich, Conn.), 30th in 2:11.48, rounded out the team effort.
50 Free
The sophomore Cundiff has been swimming well all season long, and kept up in the 50 free with another win, timing 22.94 seconds for the victory. She finishes the fall a perfect 8-0 in the 50 free. Kenna was seventh in 23.80, and Olszewski tied her lifetime-best from prelims with a 23.88 showing for 11th overall. Baker was 13th in 24.19 and Williams 16th in 24.26, while the freshman Stevenson won the D finals in 23.81 seconds for 25th overall.
400 Medley Relay
Wrapping up the evening was the 400 medley relay, where W&M again had several strong teams. The top squad of Kenna (56.29 on the 100 back leadoff), Tuttle, High, and Bull took sixth overall in 3:48.75, just ahead of the B relay of Baker (56.93), Laoureux, Graff, and Stevenson who combined for seventh overall with a time of 3:49.31.
The West Virginia Invitational continues on Friday, with prelims in the 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 back, and 100 breast beginning at 10 a.m.
2019 West Virginia Invitational
Team Standings (Six Events Scored)
1. William & Mary 406
2. West Virginia 402
3. Villanova 391.5
4. Kenyon 288.5
5. Old Dominion 218
6. Carnegie Mellon 90
7. Navy 32
