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Grinnell swimming and diving end their winter season on a high note

by Abby Rapoport

For Jordan Allison '09, it was her first three-meter dive. For sprinter Peter Brown '06, it was a chance to swim long distance. For Liz Mallot '06, it was the last meet of her swimming career.

Last weekend the Grinnell swim team participated in a double duel against Coe College and Monmouth College, winning comfortably in both competitions. Because it was the last meet of the season, Coach Erin Hurley allowed 62 team members to compete, the most she's taken this year.

"We wanted to take as many could go," said Hurley.

For those team members who are going on to the Midwest Conference, the meet allowed for some experimentation.

"We wanted to give people a chance to swim strokes they hadn't tried before," said Hurley.

For the swimmers whose seasons were coming to an end, the meet gave them the opportunity to swim their strongest, a feat exemplified by Mallot, who dropped 20 seconds from her 100 breast stroke.

Co-captain Sarah Stayer '06, who was an All-American diver last year, provisionally qualified for Midwest Conference in the three-meter dive. This qualification was especially impressive as Stayer recently switched hurdle legs, the equivalent of changing throwing arms for a pitcher. "I still don't have the same [level of comfort], seven years on one leg and four weeks on the other," she said

Hurley was impressed by her ability to adapt so quickly.

"It just shows how good an athlete she is and how much determination she has," said Hurley. Yet this will make conference even more stressful, as it will be Stayer's last chance to qualify for nationals.

Nate Wittnam '09, has confidence that both teams will perform well. "We're really in a position to drop a lot of time," he said.

A win in conference would be the eighth consecutive for the women's team and a fifth for the men. The dominance of Grinnell's swimming and diving teams in the conference puts a lot of pressure on the athletes.

"Every year you win another, the other teams want to dethrone you even more," said Hurley.

For now, both the men's and women's teams will enjoy their new, relaxed schedule and the lingering excitement of their last meet of the season.

"Conference will be sentimental," said Stayer. "This was more fun."

Sidebar: Games on Deck

Indoor Track & Field: Feb. 4 - Hilltop Open, Mt. Vernon, IA

Men's Basketball: Feb. 4 - Beloit at Beloit

Women's Basketball: Feb. 4 - Beloit at Beloit

Swimming & Diving: Feb. 10-12 - MWC Conference Championships

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