by Alan Babbitt
Hope College women's swimmers recorded first-place performances in four individual events and two relays during the Wheaton College (Illinois) Invitational this weekend.
Sophomore Meg Peel of Spring Lake, Michigan (Spring Lake HS) won the 500-yard freestyle and the 100 backstroke.
Sophomore Hope Reynolds of Exon, Pennsylvania (Villa Maria) clocked the fastest tie in the 200 backstroke.
Junior Erin Emmert of Grand Blanc, Michigan (Flint Powers Catholic) took first in the 200 butterfly.
Pictured, from left, Erin Emmert, Meg Peel, and Hope Reynolds
The Flying Dutch also won the 200 and 400 medley relays en route to a third-place team score of 710 points. Washington-St. Louis won the six-team event with 792 points.
Peel posted a 500 freestyle time of 5 minutes, 4.47 seconds. It is the seventh-fastest time in NCAA Division III this season.
In the 100 backstroke, Peel went 57.43 for the eighth-fastest performance in the nation this season.
Peel led off the 200 medley relay. She teamed with freshman Alyssa Potyraj of Grandville, Michigan (Grandville), senior Betsy Craig of Grand Rapids, Michigan (East Grand Rapids), and junior Allison Eppinga of Saline, Michigan (Saline) for a time of 1:46.68.
Peel also swam in the first leg of the 400 medley relay that finished in 4:01.27. She paired with sophomore Emma Schaefer of DeWitt, Michigan (St. Johns), Craig, and senior Sydney Asselin of Holland, Michigan (Holland Christian).
Reynolds swam 2:07.39 in the 200 backstroke. She also finished fourth in the 100 backstroke at 59.93.
Emmert clocked the top effort in the 200 butterfly of 2:07.53. She was also fourth in the 200 backstroke at 2:11.45.
Schaefer was runner-up in the 100 breaststroke at 1:08.71, the 200 individual medley at 2:11.12, and the 400 individual medley at 4:38.21.
Potyraj took third in the 100 breaststroke at 1:09.03.
Craig placed third in the 100 butterfly at 59.41.
Hope's next meet is Saturday, January 12 at the Michigan-Illinois Quad hosted by Wheaton.
