The women's swim team ended its season this weekend at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships at North Carolina. Duke finished in seventh place overall, but several individual performances highlighted the meet for the Blue Devils.
The meet got off to a slow start on Thursday.
"The first day was tough, and a lot of people were disappointed with the way they swam," junior Whitney Greene said. "But the team showed a lot of character and heart. Despite not swimming well, we really came back the second and third days."
For three Blue Devils, Saturday marked the end of their swimming careers. Senior Heather Reger, an All-ACC selection at last year's meet, went out with a bang. Reger's time of 1:04.75 qualified her for the Senior Nationals. But since 1996 is the year of the Summer Olympics, Olympic trials, which Reger can not attend, will be held instead of the National meet.
Reger's time placed her fourth in the 100-yard breastroke after a controversial call. At the end of the close race, the official score board showed Reger as finishing third. But an official overruled the score board claiming that the time pad of the swimmer in the lane next to Reger did not register. The time that the timer had on the hand watch of the girl was made the official time, and Reger was moved back to fourth place. In the 200-yard breastroke, Reger also made the finals and swam a personal-best time, which placed her sixth.
Regardless, Reger was pleased with her performances over the weekend and was happy about how she ended her swimming career.
"I am excited now to actually experience life from 4-6:30 in the afternoon and to be a regular college student for a while," Reger said.
The success stories of the ACC meet came mainly from a few freshman. Alixe Mooney made a splash at her first ACC meet. All of her times were personal bests, and in both the 100 and 200 breastroke Mooney made the consolation finals. She placed 10th in the 200 breastroke and 14th in the 100 breastroke.
"I want my times to keep dropping," Mooney said. "I want to make finals next year instead of [consolation finals]."
Overall, the Blue Devils placed seventh in the ACC. But Duke's emphasis was not concentrated on its overall position, rather on individual performances.
"It's tough to be swimming against yourselves," Greene said. "We are the only team without scholarships. We are a little out of our league. But we really stepped it up."
Due to the Olympic season, the ACC meet was two weeks earlier than in previous years. This alteration in the normal season changed the way the athletes were rested for the meet.
"The freshman really handled it well," Greene said. "They swam out of their minds."
Freshman Jill Spitzfaden and Emily Voelker both had impressive meets. Voelker barely missed swimming in the consolation finals when she swam the 200 backstroke in 2:08, which placed her 17th.
Spitzfaden was right on the consolation bubble in both her events as well. Spitzfaden swam a 5:06 in the 500 free, which placed her 19th, and she was 18th in the 200 free. Both of those swims were best times for the freshman.
All in all, the lady Blue Devils totaled three consolation finalist athletes: Mooney, junior Sue Kresel and sophomore Kristin Gardner. Reger was the only finalist swimmer for Duke.
The women's team ended its season with a record of 4-5. The men's team will begin its ACC competition in Chapel Hill on Thursday.
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