WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Seven freshmen combined for 60 percent of the team's point total plus contributed to two winning relays as the Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim team eased to 150-51 win over Western New England University in a meet conducted virtually Saturday afternoon.
After staging three intrasquad meets in the fall, Eastern was competing against an outside opponent in dual competition for the first time in over a year.
Against WNEU, Eastern's freshmen combined for 74 of the team's 126-point total in nine individual events, and also swam five of the eight legs to two winning relays.
Freshmen
Nancy Scanlon (West Hartford) and
Kelly Schneider (Portland) and senior tri-captain
Kerry-Rose Buchanan (Southington) led Eastern with 18 points each in individual events, with freshman
Katey Truncale (Ledyard) and sophomore
Megan Gallagher (Watertown) adding nine points each.
All 13 individuals on the roster who competed contributed at least three points, with Eastern swimmers capturing eight of nine individual events and both relays. Winners of individual events were awarded nine points each and the winning relays accumulated 11 points.
Scanlon won the 200 individual medley (2:28.64) by 17 seconds and the 100 butterfly (1:04.55) by nine seconds; Schneider was first in the 50 freestyle (27.83) and 100 backstroke (1:07.96), and Buchanan captured the 500 (5:48.08) and 1,000 freestyle (11:47.80), Gallagher claimed the 200 freestyle (2:24.38) and freshman
Nicole Sabio (Unionville) won the 100 freestyle (1:01.45).
Three of the four swimmers on the winning 400 freestyle relay which ended the meet were freshmen: Scanlon, Sabio and Schneider, with Buchanan swimming the second leg.
Eastern swimmers went 1-2-3 in the 1000 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and 1-2 in the 50 and 100 freestyle, 200 IM, and 100 backstroke.
Swimming at the Alumni Healthful Living Center in its first meet of the year, WNEU salvaged a first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke, junior Avery Hill collected her team's lone win.
Tentatively, Eastern hosts Little East Conference opponents Rhode Island College Friday at 6 p.m. before visiting Plymouth State University Feb. 25 at the PSU Natatorium at 4 p.m. in its final scheduled meet of the season. The Eastern men will also compete at Plymouth State.
