SMC SWIMMING: Belles perform well over semester break
By ERIC POWERS
Sports Writer
The Saint Mary's swim team was traveling and racing across the country the past couple of weeks. The Belles competed in a pair of meets over winter break with mixed results.
The team opened 2003 by placing second out of five teams at the Palm Beach Winter College Classic. Weschester, a ranked Division II school, was the only team to eclipse the Belles. The Belles impressively overcame vacation and travel restrictions that limited them to fewer than two days of practice together. Co-captain Lauren Smith was pleased with her team's scrappy display.
"It wasn't total domination," Smith said. "... But it was good for everyone."
But Saint Mary's didn't have very long to bask in this achievement. After leaving Florida, the team was forced to immediately begin training for its next meet. An exhausted Belles squad could not duplicate its strong showing a week later versus Kalamazoo. Fatigue crippled the team as the Belles lost 147-90, dropping their record to 1-3 in conference play.
"There was no time for recovery, so there was more fatigue," coach Greg Petcoff said. "… [Still], we swam better than I thought we would."
The Belles battled Kalamazoo's top swimmers closely, finishing first in four events and second in six others. But Kalamazoo displayed superior depth, having 20 more swimmers place than Saint Mary's.
"We knew that they were a stronger team this year," Petcoff said. "This was going to be a major battle."
The Belles defeated Kalamazoo 131-91 last year. The team was not too disheartened by their reversal of fortune this year, however.
"We usually face them two weeks later, when we are more rested," Smith said. "Their team this year was bigger and stronger. We seem better this year [than last year], though."
The Belles will complete their regular season Saturday at Rolf's Aquatic Center at 1 p.m.
Contact Eric Powers at epowers@nd.edu.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, January 16, 2003
