SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - First year Naomi Brown posted two victories, but it wasn't enough as Mount Holyoke College shouldered a 173-121 loss to Wellesley College in swimming & diving action on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Blue improve to 2-1 in dual meet action, while the Lyons slip to 1-3 overall.
The Lyons opened the meet with a runner-up finish in the 200-yard medley relay as senior captain Claire Beckett (Haslett, Mich./Haslett), junior Bri Groves (Reston, Va./South Lakes), rookie Ashton Bliss (Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Technology Academy) and senior Topaz Mukulu (Nairobi, Kenya/Brookhouse International) posted a time of 1:59.46. In the 1,000-yard freestyle, sophomore Natalie Burkett (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) touched the wall in second place with a mark of 12:08.13, while classmate Sarah Ratzlaff (Salt Lake City, Utah/Cottonwood) was third overall with a time of 12:21.25.
First year Jacqueline Park (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge Rindge and Latin) swam to second in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:07.35. She was followed by Bliss in third (2:09.53) and rookie Riley Hicks (Bow, N.H./Bow) in fourth (2:12.50). The Lyons saw rookie Courtney Dunham (Pawling, N.Y./Canterbury School) earn fourth overall with a mark of 1:13.40, while sophomore Olivia Vejcik (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park & River Forest) was fifth (1:20.79).
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Groves earned second with a time of 1:12.61. Beckett followed in fourth with a time of 1:14.70, while in the 200-yard butterfly, Brown (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington South) was runner-up with a time of 2:22.77. Bliss was close behind in third with a mark of 2:23.39. Rookie Tamara Mukulu (Nairobi, Kenya/Brookhouse International) was second overall in the 50-free with a time of 26.10, while Park was fourth (27.16) and Hicks was fifth (27.50).
The 1-meter diving event was next, which saw sophomore Samantha Nemivant (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Prep) earn second overall with 227.90 points. Rookie Katie Kolozsvari (Danville, Ind./Indiana Academy) was fifth (152.05), while classmate Elise Malvicini (Kissimmee, Fla./International School Manila) took sixth (126.10).
MHC returned to the swim events with Hicks earning fourth in the 100-free (59.86). Senior Amy Lim (San Francisco, Calif./Lowell) was fifth in the same event (1:01.47). Beckett went on to earn third in the 200-back (2:27.57), while rookie McKenzie Sumner (Leander, Texas/Chaparral Star Academy) was fifth (2:45.27). In the 200-breast, Groves once again earned second with a time of 2:35.34, while Bliss garnered runner-up in the 500-free with a time of 5:40.63. Park was third in the event (5:47.72), while Burkett was fourth (5:54.98).
Brown picked up her first win in the 100-fly with a time of 1:02.19, while Topaz Mukulu earned second (1:12.02). In the 3-meter diving event, Nemivant once again earned second with a total of 230.50 points. Kolozsvari was fifth (156.65). The final individual event - the 200-individual medley - saw Brown pick up the win with a time of 2:27.81. Beckett earned second (2:29.59), while rookie Gwen Evans (Deerfield, N.Y./Whitesboro) was third (2:47.66).
The meet concluded with the 200-yard freestyle relay as the Lyons foursome of Lim, Hicks, Park and Brown powered their way to victory with a time of 1:49.88.
Both squads will be back in action following the Thanksgiving holiday. MHC travels to the Hamilton College Invitational for action on Friday (5pm) and Saturday (10am/5pm), while Wellesley is in action Friday through Sunday at the MIT Invitational (10am/6pm).
