The winter athletics season ended in a culmination of great triumph for Choate Athletics as the Girls Swimming and Diving Team was victorious at the New England Championships. In the event held at Deerfield’s David H. Koch Natatorium, Choate placed ahead of 24 other schools competing in the meet. The girls won the meet in commanding fashion by 49 points over the Hopkins School, and by 55 points over the third place Andover team. It was a impressive finish to an exceptional year. The season for the girls was full of highs and lows leading up to the New England event. One of the squad’s goals for the year was to come away undefeated in dual meets, this goal was dashed in a match-up against the Hopkins School of New Haven. This tough loss was sandwiched in between a five and a four dual match winning streak. The second to last event on the year was the Western New England Private School Swimming Association Championships in which Choate again lost to a strong team from Hopkins, this time by an even slimmer margin. Co-Captain Kristy Zera ’08 said, “After our southern division WNEPSSA championship meet (Westerns), where we came in second to Hopkins by only a few points, we knew we would place strongly in New England’s. We didn’t swim our best line-up for the meet and still had season-best swims from most girls on the team.” The 9-1 record Choate accumulated during the dual meet season and the strong finish boded well for the team to finish with a flourish in the last and most important event of the year. The New England Meet was full of excitement and high hopes for the girl’s, and each one of those hopes was met with a strong sense of accomplishment. Several of the girls posted top eight finishes in their respective races including Emily Hunter ’08, Cori West ’08, Caroline Wilson ’09, Katie Kaspar ’10, and Jamie Hillas ’11. The highlight of the swimming portion of the meet by far was Choate’s victory in the 200 IM race. The four legs were swum by Kale Futterman, Jamie Hillas, Emily Hunter, and Caroline Wilson. Diver Carlin Dacey ’08 once again came up big for the Choate squad tallying another first place finish which greatly aided Choate’s cause. All in all, it was the depth of the Choate squad that truly put them over the top. “Our only individual event winner was Carlin Dacey in the diving, but almost every event had at least two swimmers in the top 16, which gets us points,” commented Zera. The victory was sweet revenge given the two prior losses to Hopkins earlier in the season. “ It was great to finally beat Hopkins, since we came so close at Westerns, and prove that we really are the better team,” said Zera. The victory for the Girls was only the second time in Choate’s history that the Girls Swimming and Diving team has come away victorious from the New England Championships. “Finishing first was possibly one of the most amazing experiences, especially since this is only the second time that the Choate girls have captured the New England title,” said Co-captain Emily Hunter. “The satisfaction the team gained by accomplishing a season long goal made the victory even sweeter.” The championship victory was the end to a historical season, and an amazing end to the careers of the seniors on the team. There is plenty of talent from the team that will be back next year, and who knows maybe a back-to-back New England championship may be in store for the girls. However, this year’s team has made an indelible impact on the history of girls swimming and Choate athletics and it will not soon be forgotten. “Winning New England’s was the perfect way to end a great season, and proved to everyone how hard we work, and that it will pay off in the end,” stated Kristy Zera.
Julis Fram ’08 domintates in the pool. Contributed Photo
