The Hillsdale College swim team finished its regular season on a high note on Saturday, beating Ohio Northern University 169-125 and tying with Case Western Reserve University 144-144 in Ada, Ohio.
“We wanted to go out and win both ends of the meet without swimming our strongest lineup,” head coach Kurt Kirner said. “We were allowing many swimmers to swim different events. I wanted them to look for or create their own races and beat the opponent. We were good but not as good as we needed to be in many circumstances.”
The freshmen have proven their abilities heading into the championship season, particularly Anika Ellingson, who won both the 100 breaststroke with a 1:07.79 and the 200 breaststroke with a 2:31.48. Her performance in the 200 earned her a spot in Hillsdale’s top 10 in the event all-time.
“Anika Ellingson and Sarah Rinaldi have been solid in their main events,” Kirner said. “Zoe Hopkins seems to come through big in every situation I put her in.”
Hopkins has consistently been victorious in her specialty — the 1000 freestyle — and this weekend was no exception, as she swam a time of 10:52.75. She holds a school record in this event, and although this particular meet wasn’t her fastest mark, the team’s reduction of intense training, or ‘taper,’ should prove to be beneficial not only for Hopkins, but for the entire team.
“We raced hard and showed our team strength during our last dual meet,” senior Naofa Noll said. “We are really ready to rest for GLIACs. Everyone was excited to start taper soon.”
Though the Chargers’ bodies were tired due to the intense training, junior Emily Shallman managed to push for a win in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:26.21 and freshman Suzanne DeTar won the 200 freestyle, swimming a 2:00.07. Senior Mikalah Smith took second in both events, not far behind both Shallman and DeTar.
“Sarah Rinaldi’s 400 IM definitely stood out to me,” Shallman said. “She hasn’t swam that event all season, having just recovered from an injury, and the 400 IM was the last individual event to be swam at the meet, which took several hours longer than usual. Despite all of this, Sarah was able to swim a great race which was really inspiring.”
Now, the team will take a much-needed break before the GLIAC Championships kick off on Feb. 20 at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Last year, the Chargers placed sixth in the GLIAC with 300 points. They are looking to improve this year.
“At this point in the season everyone is pretty tired, but taper is approaching quickly so we’re all excited for that,” Shallman said. “Everyone is excited for GLIACs. There is a lot of great talent on this team, so it will be really cool to see what everyone can do once they have rested. We’ve put the work in, so now it’s showtime.”