"We definitely knew that Columbia was going to be one of our toughest meets," women's co-captain Galen Barry '12 said. "But we were looking to get some final fast swims in and tune up our races."
The women won just five of the 17 events of the meet, struggling to keep pace with Columbia. However, despite the Big Green's lack of first-place finishes, there was no absence of strong Dartmouth performances on the day.
"We knew that Columbia had beat Princeton the night before, but our goal is always the same, to get in and swim well," Dartmouth coach Jim Wilson said. "And for the most part, we did really well and just have a few minor adjustments to make now."
The divers scored big for the Big Green, with Katy Feng '14 winning the three-meter board ahead of teammate Erica Serpico '12, who placed second. The two divers switched positions in the one-meter, as Serpico took the victory with Feng just behind in second. Dartmouth also found success in the 200-yard butterfly with Valerie Orellana '15 taking first place, followed closely by Danielle Kerr '14.
Several other Big Green swimmers posted strong times as well, positioning the squad well for the women's Ivy Championships on Feb. 23-25.
Meredith Sweeney '14 took first in the 200-yard backstroke and second in the 100-yard backstroke. In an exciting 500-yard freestyle race, Big Green swimmers earned second, third and fourth as the sophomore trio of Danielle Kerr '14, Kiki Hocheder '14 and Christine Kerr '14 earned big points for Dartmouth.
On the men's side, Albert Roth '13 led the charge for the Big Green, taking first place in the 200-yard butterfly, the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley. Wilson said Roth's three event wins made him the meet's standout individual.
Even with Roth's strong performance, however, the Big Green men struggled against the Lions. Just like the women, Dartmouth won only five of 17 events.
The meet would not prove to be a cakewalk for Columbia, though, as Dartmouth's strong second, third and fourth place finishes kept the Big Green competitive throughout. Co-captain Mickey Ahern '12 had two solid second-place finishes in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard backstroke. Dylan Gabel '14 also performed well, winning the 500-yard freestyle and taking second in the 1,000-yard freestyle.
With two personal-best times, John Hill '12 also provided a "bright spot amidst defeat" for the Big Green, men's co-captain Matt Stumpf '12 said.
Even though the teams came up short on the scoreboard, the meet served as an indication of the Big Green's potential, Stumpf said.
"Columbia has always been a strong team," he said. "With Ivies coming up, we were just trying to make sure that all the fine-tuning we have been doing is coming together. Our goal was to go in with good technique and good strategy and make sure our races are where we want them to be."
The team will look to stay focused as it heads into the final stretch of the season.
"There were a couple of disappointments, and, as a coach, those stick out in your mind, but we are pretty much on pace with where we want to be at this point in the season," Wilson said.
With time now to prepare for its final races of the season, the Big Green is hoping to have a solid showing when it faces its Ancient Eight rivals in the Ivy Championships.
"It's not like we have to go out there and play defense," Wilson said. "We just have to swim the best we can. We can't control what the other teams do, but the better we swim, the higher we finish."
In preparation for Ivies, the teams have begun to shift up their practice schedules.
"We are our starting our taper now, so we're getting a little more rest and doing a little less practicing, which is nice," Barry said. "Everyone feels like they put in the hard work at the beginning of the season to get to where we are now."
The Big Green will be back in action in a couple of weeks for the three-day Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships. The women will compete in Cambridge, Mass. Feb. 23-25, while the men will compete in Princeton, N.J. March 1-3.
