Cox turns in strong performance at Calvin
By JANEL MILLER
Sports Writer
Saint Mary's diver Ryann Cox knows firsthand how different one day can be to the next.
After a lackluster performance at the Wabash Diving Invitation Friday evening, a disappointed Cox looked forward to the following afternoon's meet to regain her confidence.
"She was really bummed and disappointed on Friday. She just wasn't all there, and she knew it," said Saint Mary's swim coach Gretchen Hildebrandt. "But she looked forward to Saturday, to start fresh."
But not everything ran as smoothly as Cox would have liked.
She sprained her ankle on the way to the meet earlier in the day and cut her lip on the bottom of the pool during warm-ups.
"She's very tough," Hildebrandt said. "She didn't let anything get to her, her performance the previous night, or the injuries she seemed to happen upon. She really focused on what she was there to do."
And that's exactly what she did.
Her performances on the one-meter and three-meter boards both increased by 20 points and 45 points respectively, giving her the second place spot in the meet.
"She had an exceptional meet. She really came back and performed at a level I think we're both very happy with," added Hildebrandt. " She was truly the focus of the meet."
The swimmers, though, had some good swims and some poor swims, said Hildebrandt. The Belles weren't able to pull out dual wins with their performances, and fell to Calvin.
In addition to Cox's second place in diving, the Belles were able to pull points in a few of their events.
Megan Ramsey was again dominant in the 200-yard butterfly and the 500-yard freestyle, taking firsts in both events.
Lauren Smith snatched a first in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Other key performances were given by Maureen Palchak in the 50 and 200-yard freestyle events and senior co-captain Colleen Sullivan in her 100-yard freestyle, both clinching second place.
According to Hildebrandt, Sullivan was having difficulties early in the season but has found "her groove and is back to herself."
"I felt really good in the water and I am actually pretty happy with my swim," said Sullivan.
Fellow co-Captain Olivia Smith said that even though they as a team weren't very happy with their performances, they shouldn't let it get them down.
"A lot of us are disappointed in our swims but we shouldn't be because this is the point in the season where everyone is so tired and rundown, and we need to realize this and take it into account when we try to analyze ourselves."
"I'm happy with their performances," said Hildebrandt. "The fact that they swam consistent times when they haven't rested is very positive. I'm not worried about them, we have the whole season ahead of us."
All Sports Stories for Monday, December 4, 2000
