A highly successful season for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams came to a close on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships. Both the teams and individuals had great success at conference, with the women’s team breaking every relay record they had held.

The Yeowomen rounded out the meet in eighth place with 578.5 points and the Yeomen came in sixth with a total of 577 points. The men’s team improved on their seventh place finish last year. Defending men and women’s conference championship teams from Kenyon College swept the meet, with both squads coming in first.

Reflecting on the meet, junior Emily Spence said, “Well, our conference meet went smashingly. The team as a whole stepped it up and swam smart and fast. It was very touching to hear all the nice things they said about [retiring Head Coach Dick Michaels] on the last night, after 36 years of coaching at Oberlin.”

The Yeowomen were led by the 400-yard freestyle relay team. The team was composed of Spence and first-years Kir Selert, Ploy Keener and Bryne Ulmschneider. They finished the race in 3:42.92, a final time that shaved almost two seconds off the previous record.

“I was impressed by how well the first-year swimmers handled the pressure and by the mentorship that the upperclassmen provided,” said Spence. “This has been a theme on the team for the entire season.”

Many members voiced both appreciation for the fresh skill that the many new first-year recruits brought to the team, as well as the impressive initiative and desire many seasoned team members showed in helping orient them to varsity college swimming and diving.

The men’s squad also produced a bit of magic of their own at conference. Individual highlights include performances by first-year Scott McInerney and senior Craig Betchart. Both finished their races in eighth place. McInerney competed in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing with a time of 1:58.24. Betchart, on the other hand, competed in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing his race in 47.73.

Both teams showed a lot of spirit, effort and passion over the course of the three-day meet. When all was said and done, most members of the team were happy with the results and believe they are an example of how both teams have improved tremendously over the course of the season. First-year performances truly proved that the newest members to the squads are fully prepared to step up and fill the vacuum that graduating seniors will leave.