<son drew to a close this weekend for many members of the Carleton women’s swimming and diving team. The Minnesota Challenge meet, held at the University of Minnesota’s Aquatics Center, was the last meet of the year for those who will not go on to the MIAC final competition in two weeks.
Overall, the taper group posted some outstanding performances. A total of 28 best times were recorded by the taper group, out of 31 swims overall. Among these best times is Molly Bostrom’s (’14) 100 freestyle, in which she broke one minute, a major milestone for any competitive swimmer. Says Bostrom, “I swam all through high school and never dropped time like I did this weekend. I’ve heard it before from teammates and coaches, but my races at the MN Challenge really proved to me that there’s nothing quite like a Carleton taper.”
Several other standout performances came from Kiersten Stoeckel (’14) in the 500 free, posting a lifetime best of 5:49, Ashley Paquin (’13) in the 100 backstroke, and Samantha Sharpe (’14) in the 200 fly.
The meet marks a bittersweet moment for senior co-captain Eléonore Dixon-Roche, for despite posting lifetime best performances, the meet marks the end of her Carleton career. “It’s been simply an amazing four years of swimming at Carleton,” she reflects. “I could have never dreamed, let alone ask for, a better and more supportive team. This past weekend was a perfect way to end my swimming career- a loud, energetic meet with the best team in the world, and some lifetime bests to round it all up!”
The rest of the team will next compete at the MIAC Championships, also held at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center, from Thursday February 17th- Saturday February 20th.
Kate Dorwart is a member of the women’s swim team.
