SMC SWIMMING: Belles wrap up dual meets this weekend
By NATALIE BAILEY
Sports Writer
The 3-5 Saint Mary's swim team wraps up its dual meet season this Saturday with its final match against Kalamazoo.
After knocking off Albion last weekend, the Belles hope to carry that momentum into Saturday's meet and the MIAA conference meet.
Although Kalamazoo finished third in the MIAA last year, they have struggled this year. They enter Saturday's meet with a 1-4 record — with one of the losses being to Albion.
Belles' head coach Gregg Petcoff knows this meet does not come at the best time in his tapering schedule, but he remains confident that his team will do as best they can.
"I fully expect a mixed bag," he said, "We are going to have to take it event by event and person by person."
At this point in the season, lethargy and physical strain are simply the nature of a taper used to prepare swimmers for a large meet like the MIAA Conference Championships.
But the Belles have to fight more than fatigue and weariness — they'll need to take on Kalamazoo one of their top swimmers. Lane Herrington, junior co-captain of the team, has obligations towards an academic competition on Saturday.
"She is one of the top swimmers, so we will have to try harder without her," teammate Julie McGranahan said.
Despite the negative factors, the Belles believe this is the season for Saint Mary's to defeat Kalamazoo. Last year, Kalamazoo beat Saint Mary's by a narrow margin of 10 points. Had the Belles placed higher in just two events, they could have claimed victory over the third best team in the MIAA.
But Kalamzoo isn't as good as last year and Saint Mary's is better, leading many Belles to believe they have the edge on Saturday.
"I would love to beat Kalamazoo but I would rather place better at conference," he said.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 8, 2002
