WORCESTER, Mass. – Action at the 2017 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Swimming & Diving Championships concluded on Sunday evening. After four days of events, Mount Holyoke College finished nith overall with 235 points. MIT captured this year's title with 1,422 points.
Senior captain Anne Kuenning (Bow, N.H./Bow) had a strong effort to lead the Lyons' swimmers on Sunday. Competing in the 200-yard backstroke, Kuenning advanced to the championship final, recording a ninth-place finish with a time of 2:10.71. That mark was just shy of her own school record (2:09.25), set in 2014.
Sophomore Bri Groves (Reston, Va./South Lakes) also had a solid showing, competing in the consolation final of the 200-yard breaststroke. She touched the wall second in the final and 12th overall in the field with a time of 2:32.02.
Also performing well in the final day was senior captain Emily Craig (Rochester, N.Y./Gates-Chili), who placed 25th overall in the 100-yard freestyle. She notched a time of 55.42. In the grueling 1650-yard freestyle, first year Natalie Burkett (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) was 23rd with a time of 19:28.63, while sophomore Delany Berry (Collinsville, Conn./Canton) was 25th overall (19:50.81).
First year Samantha Nemivant (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Prep) was also outstanding on the day, reaching the podium in the 3-meter event. She finished sixth overall, posting a time of 450.80 points. That mark was just over two points off her school record of 452.85 points.
In the final event of this year's championship, the Lyons saw the 400-yard freestyle relay finish ninth overall. The foursome of Craig, Kuenning, Groves and senior Katie Tyler (Hadley, Mass./Hopkins Academy) notch a time of 3:42.24.
MIT dominated to win this year's title, besting second-place finisher WPI (769.5) by 652.5 points. Wheaton placed third with 766 points, followed by Springfield (742) and Wellesley (529) to round out the top five.
The Lyons will see Nemivant return to action next weekend as she competes at the 2017 NCAA Division III Diving Northeast-North Regionals, hosted by MIT. Action begins on Friday (2/24) at 2pm, continuing on Saturday (2/25) at 12pm. Divers from across the region will be competing for a spot to vie for a national title at the 2017 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, March 15-18 at the Conroe ISD Natatorium in Shenandoah, Texas.
Story photo of the 3-meter diving podium featuring Nemivant (front row, immediate right) is courtesy of Katherine Cotton.
