Playing the final home meet of the 2014-15 season and starting the contest with an emotional ceremony to honor the Green Wave’s seven-member senior class, the Tulane University women’s swimming and diving team sent sestet out in style with a 188-112 win over North Texas on Saturday at the Reily Student Recreation Center Natatorium.
The Green Wave posted wins in 11 of the 16 events, including two individual victories by junior Lauren Arnold, junior Elizabeth Cook, junior Mia Schachter and sophomore Ellie Sills while Tulane won both the 200 medley and 400 free relays. With the win, the Wave improved to 2-7 in dual meet action and continued to show steady improvement as the team prepares for its first-ever trip to the American Athletic Conference Championship meet from Feb. 18-21 in Greensboro, N.C.
“The meet today was a very good meet for us,” Tulane head coach Katie Robinson said. “We came out strong with our first medley relay. From there we just kept going as fast as we could, and every single person left it in the pool when they touched there wall. There was nothing left at the end of races, no matter what the place was. They fought very hard and we had some really great swims from everybody.
“I’m so proud of the seniors. They did such a good job of keeping the spirit alive and really pumping everybody up. Before the meet, Laura Turpen said, ‘You know what guys? Let’s swim it like we don’t ever have any other races to swim.’ It was a really moving moment for our team and everyone got behind the seniors. Overall, it was a very good meet. It was good to have North Texas come in and have that competition level raised.”
Cook won both the 100 and 200 back with times of 55.55 and 2:01.57, respectively, and swam leadoff for both victorious relay units. Her time in the 100 back was a lifetime best as well as the No. 2 individual and No. 6 overall times in Tulane history while her 200 back performance was a season best and the No. 5 overall time in the Green Wave annals. In addition, her 52.86 leadoff split in the 400 free relay was a lifetime best in the 100 free.
Schachter emerged victorious in the 100 breast with a time of 1:03.12 – the No. 12 overall time in Tulane history – and the 100 free with a 51.59. Sills, meanwhile, won the 100 and 200 fly with respective marks of 57.45 and 2:05.26. Sills effort in the 100 fly spearhead a Tulane 1-2-3 finish as freshman Kaitlin Simpson was second with a 57.47 and senior Amy Needham was next at 57.71.
“Lining up the meet against each other, we didn’t know how it was going to come out,” Robinson added. “Against North Texas last year, they came out on top and it was good to come out on top this year when we were defending our home turf.”
Also posting an individual win for the Green Wave was Simpson in the 50 free with a 24.31. The quartet of Cook, Schachter, Needham and freshman Emma Lincoln combined to clock a 1:44.47 in the 200 medley relay while Cook, Simpson, freshman Emma Lincoln and Schachter joined forces to time out at 3:29.57.
Arnold won both diving events, posting a 253.88 on the one-meter springboard and a 268.13 at the three-meter elevation. Fellow junior Maren Kjell finished second to Arnold in the three-meter springboard with a 238.95 and came a missed dive from potentially qualifying for the NCAA Zone Championship.
“They did great,” Tulane diving coach Chris Devine said of Arnold and Kjell. “They got first and second in the one-meter with a failed dive for Maren. It was unfortunate because with that dive, if she got fours on it, she would have qualified for the Zone Championship. That was a little disappointing, but overall, the list she was putting together was spectacular. Lauren was fantastic as well, so I’m pretty pleased.
“On three-meter, it was good and bad. Lauren won and Maren was fourth. But in that fourth, there was a lot of positive changes that she’s making. She got great starts on everything, but just didn’t find her head on the water. That comes with time. Once you practice with those kinds of starts, then you can start to figure out how to put them in the water.”
Junior Roni Meyer led the Green Wave effort in the 1000 free, finishing second with a time of 10:30.86. Also posting second-place finishes to lead Tulane in the respective events were sophomore Joy Jason in the 200 breast (2:26.27), junior Rachel Schneider in the 500 free (5:07.01) and junior Holly Grender in the 200 IM (2:08.21). Lincoln paced Tulane in the 200 free with a 1:53.84 to finish third.
The Green Wave return to action on Friday, Jan. 30, when they take on Houston, Rice and host LSU in a two-day, quad meet in Baton Rouge, La. From there, Tulane will head to North Carolina for The American Championship.
HEAD COACH KATIE ROBINSON’S QUOTES FOLLOWING SATURDAY’S MEET vs NORTH TEXAS
Overall thoughts entering the meet
“The meet today was a very good meet for us. We came out strong with our first medley relay. From there we just kept going as fast as we could, and every single person left it in the pool when they touched there wall. There was nothing left at the end of races, no matter what the place was. They fought very hard and we had some really great swims from everybody.”
On who stood out individually
“Elizabeth Cook had a great meet with three life-time bests today, which was amazing to see. We are all so proud of her. [Alex] Brindisi also went life-time best in the 200 IM, which was great to see. She’s been knocking on that 2:10 door in the 200 IM for a long time, and it was good to see a 2:09 for her.”
On this being the final home meet and the performance of the seniors
“I’m so proud of the seniors. They did such a good job of keeping the spirit alive and really pumping everybody up. Before the meet, Laura Turpen said, ‘You know what guys? Let’s swim it like we don’t ever have any other races to swim.’ It was a really moving moment for our team and everyone got behind the seniors. Overall, it was a very good meet. It was good to have North Texas come in and have that competition level raised.”
On the win against the Mean Green
“Lining up the meet against each other, we didn’t know how it was going to come out. Against North Texas last year, they came out on top and it was good to come out on top this year when we were defending our home turf.”
On sending the seniors out with a win in their final home contest
“It was a really great moment for our seniors. I’m really happy that the team came together for them. They did such a great job, too, and it’s just a nice way for them to finish up.”
On the crowd on hand for Saturday’s meet
“We’re so thankful to all of our fans who came out today. It definitely aided us in what we did. It’s so cool to pack the house here at Tulane for our home meets, especially for the seniors. It was a great way for them to end their final home meet.”
DIVING COACH CHRIS DEVINE’S QUOTES FOLLOWING SATURDAY’S MEET vs NORTH TEXAS
On how his divers matchup with those from North Texas
“They did great. They got first and second in the one-meter with a failed dive for Maren [Kjell]. It was unfortunate because with that dive, if she got fours on it, she would have qualified for the Zone Championship. That was a little disappointing, but overall, the list she was putting together was spectacular. Lauren was fantastic as well, so I’m pretty pleased. On three-meter, it was good and bad. Lauren won and Maren was fourth. But in that fourth, there was a lot of positive changes that she’s making. She got great starts on everything, but just didn’t find her head on the water. That comes with time. Once you practice with those kinds of starts, then you can start to figure out how to put them in the water.”
On sending the senior class out with a win in their final home meet
“It’s always important to get a win for the seniors. This is the last time they’re going to be in front of their home fans. We don’t have that many home meets to begin with, so to be able to go out with a win and feel that way in their last home meet at Tulane is good for them.”
