Belles end first day in fifth
By JANEL MILLER
Sports Writer
Records have begun to fall on the first night of competition putting the Belles in high spirits.
At the finish of day one, the Belles swimming and diving team are located between their targets —Albion and Alma. The Belles will begin today's events in fifth place with 74 points, ahead of Alma with 70 and directly behind both Albion and Kalamazoo with 89 points.
"We're happy with where we are — we're right between them," said senior backstroker Lori Shulte. "The best part is we have two days to go and tomorrow is our best day."
The Belles started the evening finals off on a positive note when the set a new school record in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The relay team of Colleen
Sullivan, Chloe Lennihan, Elizabeth Doro and Maureen Palchak also grasped a fourth place finish with their time of 1-minute 43:88 seconds. According to co-captain Sullivan this is the first of many records that will fall over the weekend.
Sullivan also took a fifth place finish in the 50-yard freestyle directly ahead of Palchak with times 25.87 and 25.88 seconds respectively.
"It was a great race ... it really set me up for tomorrow's race," said Sullivan.
Both are expected to put up excellent performances in today's 200-yard freestyle.
The much awaited 500-yard freestyle gave head coach Gretchen Hildebrandt a positive outlook towards the rest of the weekend. All three women dropped significant time and placed very well.
"The relay was great but this race really showed the hard work and efforts in the last few weeks of practice," said Hildebrandt.
Co-captain Olivia Smith place 11th with a season best time of 5:38.31. Teammates Candace Polisky and Megan Ramsey each contributed stellar performances as well.
Polisky brought a 14th place and a 13-second time drop to the Belles while Ramsey came in with a third place and within reach of the school record.
Diver Ryann Cox placed 13th with a personal best score of 238. Her score significantly higher than her previous best of 198 reflects her extra hours and dedication in the last few weeks said Hildebrandt.
The Belles look onward to today and Saturday's races when their specialties will shine. The backstrokers, breaststrokers and butterflyers all have great
chances at gaining the extra edge —and points —for the team, while the relays will look to setting new records, and Ramsey at qualifying for nationals. The pressure is on.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 16, 2001
