No. 13 Women's Swim/Dive Takes First in 11 Events, Overwhelms Kalamazoo and Olivet

The No. 13-ranked Hope College women's swimming and diving team capped a successful weekend of competition, winning all 11 swimming events to top Kalamazoo College and The University of Olivet in an MIAA tri-meet. The meet was held at the Kalamazoo College Natatorium.

Senior Greta Gidley (Franklin, Michigan / Mercy HS) and freshman Megan Wedeking (Lexington, Kentucky / Lafayette) posted multiple wins for the Flying Dutch, who captured the top three positions in all but one swimming event.

Gidley posted a time of 1 minute, 55.74 seconds to win the 200-yard freestyle before clocking a 2:27.77 to place first in the 200 breaststroke. Wedeking swept the sprint events, winning the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.

Hope defeated Kalamazoo, 180-59, while also topping Olivet by a 203-27 margin to move to 5-0 in dual meet competition this season.

In the 1,650 freestyle, junior Ashlea Swingewood (Carmel, Indiana / Carmel) topped the field with a mark of 18:13.75, while freshman Emmy Sower (Midland, Michighan / H.H. Dow) placed second, finishing the mile in 18:19.33.

Sophomore Paige Potter (Lake Orion, Michigan / Lake Orion) won the 400 IM, touching the wall in 4:53.45. Sophomore Dillon Horsley (Indianapolis, Indiana / North Central) (5:01.65) and sophomore Natalie Pitera (Livonia, Michigan / Stevenson) (5:07.87) finished second and third, respectively.

Junior Laurel Wasiniak (Northville, Michigan / Northville) was victorious in the 200 butterfly, touching the wall in 2:18.99. Freshman Katarina Schaefer (DeWitt, Michigan / St. Johns) finished second with a time of 2:26.34, while senior Katie Weedon (Whitinsville, Massachusetts / Whitinsville Christian) placed third in 2:28.82.

In the 200 backstroke, Senior Sara Kraus (Rockford, Michigan / Rockford) cruised to a first-place finish in 2:05.54. Sophomore Avery Bills (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City Central) (2:15.38) and senior Lauren Ryle (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Catholic Central) (2:19.31) completed the podium.

Junior Katie Hermann (Canton, Michigan / Mercy) edged out junior Bella Turner (Chelsea, Michigan / Chelsea) in the 500 freestyle by .39 seconds, finishing in 5:29.02, while Pitera placed third in 5:41.71.

On the diving board, senior Hope Weeda (Grandville, Michigan / Calvin Christian) registered a pair of third-place showings in the 1- and 3-meter competitions. Weeda's score of 213.07 on the 3-meter board was a season-best.

In the 50 freestyle, Wedeking was the only swimmer to touch under 26 seconds, while junior Katie Hermann (Canton, Michigan / Mercy) went 26.02 for second and junior Madi Remenschneider (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) went 26.24 for third.

Remenschneider also registered a second-place showing in the 200 breaststroke behind Gidley, edging out freshman Emme D'Errico (Farmington Hills, Michigan / Farmington) by .06 seconds. Remenschneider finished in 2:31.08, while D'Errico touched the wall in 2:31.14.

D'Errico was also second in the 200 freestyle with a season-best 1:58.40, while sophomore Lillian Ryden (Holland, Michigan / Holland Christian) placed third in 2:04.48.

In the 100 freestyle, sophomore Madeline McGee (Ionia, Michigan / Ionia) placed second with a time of 56.29, while Swingewood touched third in 57.43.

In the relay events, the team of Gidley, Potter, Ryle and Remenschneider won the 400 medley relay in 4:09.07. Wasiniak, Turner, Ryle and Kraus closed out the meet with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay, posting a time of 1:37.98.

Hope will be in action next weekend, traveling to face No. 6 University of Chicago in a dual meet on Saturday, Feb. 1. Competition will begin at 1 p.m. CDT at the Myers-McLoraine Pool.

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