When the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams took to the pool against Ivy foe Yale in their final dual meet of the season Saturday, the Bulldogs ultimately proved best in show: Brown’s men lost 175-125, while the women dropped by a narrower margin of 156-144. Altogether, the Bears won 13 of 32 events.
“We just wanted to see where we are a few weeks out from the (Ivy League) championships,” said co-captain Kate Dillione ’15. “Typically our meets against Yale have been very close — it was a great challenge.”
The Bears did not bow to the Bulldogs without a fight. Strong individual showings abounded on both the men’s and the women’s side.
As he has done so often this season, Tommy Glenn ’14 dominated all competitors across multiple events. Swimming with the celerity of a swordfish, Glenn took home individual titles in both the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard butterfly, winning the latter race by more than four seconds.
Still thirsty for more, Glenn contributed legs to the first-place 200-yard medley relay, a Brown record, and the second-place 400-yard freestyle relay. When scores were tallied at the end of the meet, Glenn stood responsible for more than 25 percent of the men’s total points.
Glenn was not the only Bear who enjoyed success this weekend. The dynamic duo of Christopher Meyers ’16 and Connor Lohman ’17 finished first and second, respectively, in the 100-yard breaststroke. Another high point for Brown took place in the 50-yard freestyle, as Jeffrey Strausser ’15 and Jack Nee ’17 finished one and two.
Nee’s second-place finish in that race was the tightest of the meet. The first-year managed to out-touch Yale’s Andrew Heymann at the pool wall, securing the silver by 0.01 seconds.
On the diving platform, Billy Rosenberg ’15 acquitted himself well, taking second in the 3-meter event. Jonathan Schlafer ’17 matched Rosenberg’s result, taking second in the 1-meter dive.
Alexis Daswick ’16 was perhaps the most valuable contributor on the women’s side, notching first-place finishes in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke. But Daswick did not cruise to her victories, gritting it out against Yale first-year Michelle Chintanapohl in order to taste her triumph.
Chintanapohl dogged Daswick’s every stroke in both their meetings. Daswick finished ahead of her Yale rival by only 0.08 seconds in the 100 back, while the 200 back was decided by 0.10 seconds. Daswick’s efforts added a much-appreciated 18 points to the Bears’ score.
Daswick “was rested a bit for this meet, and she was wearing a fast suit,” Dillione said. “It was good that she was able to score those points for us.”
Daswick’s teammates rallied behind her strong showing. In the 100 breast, Briana Borgolini ’14 and Katie Roach ’17 finished one and two, respectively. In the 200 breast, by contrast, Roach claimed the title, while Borgolini faded to fourth.
Not to be outdone, Gina Matsumoto ’16 and Caroline Vexler ’17 swept the 200-yard individual medley. Matsumoto was first to the wall, with Vexler following not far behind.
Though she experienced a breakout performance last weekend at Cornell, Reia Tong ’16 could not find her way to the top of the victory stand against Yale. Still, the sophomore swam strongly and recorded the closest second-place finish of the day in the 50 free, coming within 0.06 seconds of the win.
For her part, Dillione led the team by example. She began the meet by anchoring the Bears’ 400 medley relay, then followed that up by winning the 200 free.
Dillione said her races afforded her an opportunity to compete against rivals whom she will race alongside at the Ivy League Championships. “It’s good to get a taste of what’s in the conference,” she said. “In two weeks we’ll be ready to go.”
But at the end of the day, Brown was in the losing column on both sides of the meet. The defeats were the latest in a line of Ivy losses. Neither the men nor the women managed to top any conference opponents in dual meets this season.
Still, the Bears remain “within an arm’s length” of several of their Ivy rivals, Dillione said. “We’ve had super close meets with three or four teams at this point,” she said. “I’m excited for how it’ll all shake out.”
The team proceeds apace toward the Ivy championship meet, where several team members could contend for individual titles. For the men, Glenn is the two-time defending champion in both the 100 and 200 fly races. For the women, Borgolini returns as a two-time runner-up in the 100 breast and one-time runner-up in the 200 breast. Both could win their events at the championships.
Swimmers who have not qualified to race at the Ivy championships will compete next weekend at the feBRUINvite, hosted by Brown. Qualifying athletes will train through that event, preparing for the conference championship meet Feb. 27-28 at Harvard.
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