The Spider Swimming and Diving team, which celebrated its seniors Megan Benner and Anne Kirchner Saturday, Feb. 4, on Senior Day, showed visiting Navy to a loss, outscoring the Mids 167-130 in the Robins Center Natatorium. The Spiders allowed only six event wins by the Mids, taking home a total of 10 wins, including the 200 medley relay, 1000 free, 200 free, 100 breast, 200 fly, 50 free, 200 back, 200 breast, 500 free and 100 fly.

“We challenged the girls to make improvements in this meet,” head coach Matt Barany said. “I think now we are starting to see those improvements happening. I thought today’s crowd was amazing, especially the entire Kirchner family who came to see Anne and Megan swim in their final home meet.”

Freshman Lauren Beaudreau, sophomore Anastasia Lau and freshmen C.J. Pisano and Brie McDowell got the duel started with a win in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:48.43, three-hundredths off the relay team’s top-time this season. Freshman Cara Smaniotto, sophomore Andrea Denney, Kirchner and junior Emily Bateman finished the event second with a 1:51.61 to earn the Spiders four more relay points.

Junior Caitlin Geary finished the 1000 free with a 10:30.27 to take home top honors. Next up in the win column was sophomore Jessica Witt in the 200 free. The Fullerton, Calif., native went 1:54.48 to take home top-honors. Right behind Witt in the same event was Bateman (1:57.24) in second and junior Holly Hinds in third with a 1:58.95.

Beaudreau was outstanding in the 100 breast, nearly breaking the school record with a top-time of 1:04.77. Her season-best time moved her into third-place all-time for the Spiders and was just three-tenths off the all-time mark of 1:04.45 set by Calla DeRuosi in 2004. Lau finished the 100 breast in second with a 1:06.93.

Kirchner later logged a winning time of 2:06.13 in the 200 fly, marking a season-best showing for the Winter Park, Fla., native. Pisano, junior Alicia Crossman and McDowell logged a 1-2-2 finish, respectively in the 50 free as Crossman and McDowell each turned in a second-place time of 25.58. Pisano’s 24.44 in the event was just one-tenth off her season-best of 24.33.

Beaudreau bumped her name into ninth all-time at Richmond in the 200 back. The Lafayette, Calif., native logged a 2:05.54 in the event to place first and earn the second-fastest 200 back time this season for the Spiders.

The next two events showed the Spiders sweeping the top-three spots. The first was the 200 breast with Denney (2:25.72), Lau (2:28.39) and Crossman (2:28.51) logging the top spots. Witt, Geary and Kirchner then swept the 500 free. Witt garnered a 5:01.64, Geary turned in a 5:04.74 and Kirchner logged a 5:05.87.

Last on the list of wins for Richmond was Pisano’s 100 fly in 1:00.93. Junior Kara Swift came in third with a 1:01.92, while Smaniotto finished fourth with a 1:02.01.

“I think we still have a lot of work to do,” Barany said. “We wanted this to be a learning experience, because what we have next is the A-10 Championships and there is no doubt we are going to be ready.”

Richmond now begins preparation for a run at its fifth-straight Atlantic 10 Championship title. The league meet, held in Buffalo, N.Y., from Feb. 15-18, will mark the culmination of the Spiders’ regular season in 2005-06.