The Chargers had their best weekend so far this year, with many girls recording season and personal best times. Although they only took first place in two events, the Chargers were still able to take second place overall (out of nine teams) at the University of Chicago Invite.
Notable performers for the Chargers included sophomores Sarah Rinaldi, Jennifer Wheeler, and Zoe Hopkins, and junior Rachel Kurtz.
Rinaldi won the 200 IM with a big season best of 2:07.75. Freshman Emily Shallman followed, taking sixth in 2:12.87. Rinaldi also led Hillsdale’s 2-3-4 placings in the 100 breast, with juniors Cayley Cruickshank and Ali Bauer very close behind. Rinaldi finished her successful weekend with a fourth place finish in the 100 fly (58.45).
Wheeler took third place in the 200 fly (2:07.44) and fourth place in the 200 free (1:56.21), both very impressive times for this part of the season.
Kurtz placed in all of her freestyle events with season-best times. She took third in the 100 free (53.11), sixth in the 200 (1:56.86), and first in the 50 (24.04), respectively.
Hopkins had a phenomenal meet. She took third place in the 1650 freestyle, finishing in 17:42.08, which is over a minute faster than she’s gone all season and within a second of her personal record. In the 500 free, she took fourth place and set a personal best of 5.06.93, within a second of the school record.
Hopkins turned an early season injury into a learning lesson and source of motivation. With a newfound appreciation for the sport, Hopkins has been working extra hard to make up for lost time, which reflected in the results from last weekend.
Between the 500 and 1650 free, Hopkins said she prefers the latter.
“The 500 is a sprint event when you train for distance, and I prefer to take my time to find a good pace,” Hopkins said. “It’s also exciting to watch how much can change in a mile. A swimmer who was in last place after the 1000 can end up winning in the last 650, so you can’t let your mind wander and lose your pace.”
Two things in Hillsdale’s favor were their relays and their depth, especially in breaststroke. Hillsdale placed second in the 400 medley relay, third in the 200 medley, as well as the 400 and 800 free relays, and fourth in the 200 free. And apart from Hillsdale’s 2-3-4 showing in the 100 breast, they also went 2-3-6 in the 200.
Over Christmas break, the Chargers will head south to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for their annual training trip. Starting Dec. 30, the trip will last approximately 10 days, and will be quite intense. Their daily routine will include two workouts in the water, with weight training on some days. This is the most intense training the girls will do all season.
The team will next be back in competition on Jan. 11 at the University of Indianapolis.
