Rockwall ISD Natatorium was the battlefield. The armies: Colorado College and Trinity University. The two prolific squads battled over the course of four days, Feb. 12-15, to see who would emerge as the SCAC Champions. While Colorado College tallied more points in swimming events alone, they were not able to overcome an onslaught of Trinity divers, who helped accumulate a whopping team total of 954 points.
The women’s team cemented their fourth consecutive second-place finish at the SCAC Championships with a team total of 872. The competition featured some stellar times and individual performances from Colorado College; the Tigers, however, failed to get over the hump against Trinity, a squad that has not failed to finish atop the podium as SCAC champions in the last 15 years.
The Tigers laid in wait for most of the weekend, ready to pounce at the heels of Trinity. However, Trinity did not slip, and only allowed Colorado College a lead after the first event of the Championships, 58-46.
While CC did not win the conference championship, individual performances highlighted the competition for the Tigers. All in all, five swimmers from the Colorado College squad swam NCAA “B” cut times. Swimmers across the country compete for top qualifying times in order to qualify for the NCAA Championship meet at season’s end.
Juniors Megan Gillespie and Olivia Dilorati led the Tiger charge over the course of the weekend. As upperclassmen, the two serve as old guard for the predominantly youthful squad. Head Coach Goodman James said, “Those two have done so much for this program with their leadership, and the example that they set in and out of the pool.”
Dilorati earned her “B” cut time in the 200-meter backstroke final. Dilorati outpaced the closest swimmer, Robyn Remschel of McMurry University by a narrow margin of 0.73 seconds: 207.22 to Remschel’s 206.49. Gillespie earned her bid in the 200-meter breaststroke, where she cruised to victory in 2:26.20. Gillespie’s fellow Tiger Jackie Nonweiler touched the wall second, clocking in at 2:29.48.
However, the weekend held a youthful flavor to it as well, as freshman Ellen Silk made her presence known with some individual accolades. Silk captured her individual title in the 200 fly, and paired this victory with two second place finishes in the 200 IM and 100 fly.
Dilorati, Gillespie, and Silk joined forces with junior Annalise Grigereit for the 200-meter medley relay and made some serious waves on Thursday, Feb. 12. The group captured gold for the Tigers in the event. “[Grigereit] has truly become a breakout swimmer in championship meets,” Goodman James said. The 200 medley relay was the Tiger’s lone relay to qualify for NCAA “B” cut times.
Mary Rose Donahue, the Tiger’s lone diver, made a strong showing at the meet, placing fourth overall in the one-meter dive and third in the three-meter event.
Donahue produced this impressive performance on the heels of a regular season. “She was undefeated,” said Goodman James. Donahue has achieved the NCAA scores to move on the Regional meet, where she will have a chance to qualify for the NCAA National Championships.
The meet was not without strife for Goodman James’ squad. The team suffered some early DQ’s in crucial events, the 400 IM and the 800 freestyle relay. The 800 free relay team, consisting of Katie Martinez, Emily Harrison, Emma Holmes, and Annalise Grigereit, actually touched the wall first, but were later disqualified by meet officials for an infraction.
The Tigers showed their characteristic resilience. Harrison said, “Even after we got some DQs, we didn’t let the spirit and attitude on deck get down. Everyone was still cheering each other on and was pumped up despite some disappointments along the way.”
While Donahue’s path is certain, the road to NCAA National Championships is more uncertain for the Tiger’s swimming contingent. Ellen Silk, Olivia Dilorati, Megan Gillespie, and Annalise Grigereit have placed themselves in contention to be invited to the NCAA Division III Championship meet. However, as conferences around the U.S hold their meets, and the NCAA finishes setting qualifying times, the Tigers will have to wait to know their status for the NCAA Tournament.
While the Tigers challenged Trinity for much of the meet, the result on Sunday evening was the same as the previous 15 years with a Trinity victory. Goodman James figures this won’t be the case for much longer. She writes via email, “We truly believe that we can become the SCAC Champions in the near future. With all of our conference champions and all of our school record-breakers (10) returning, along with some good recruiting to add to our diving numbers, we have the opportunity to make that happen.”