November 9, 2002
WC Drops Thriller to Bullets
Late Shore Rally Includes 1-2-3 Finish in Breast

CHESTERTOWN, MD - The Washington College Shorewomen dropped their season opening meet, 109-96, to visiting Gettysburg this afternoon at Casey Swim Center, but not before staging a late rally that included a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 breaststroke.

Gettysburg led by 18 points, 84-66, after the 200 backstroke and with three events remaining. WC senior Pamela Vasquez (Tegucigalpa, Honduras/Delcampo Institute) then swam to her second of two first-place finishes on the day, winning the 500 freestyle in 5:22.60. Gettysburg took second, third, and fourth in the event as the Shorewomen gained one point, cutting the lead to 93-76.

The next-to-last event of the afternoon was the 200 breaststroke. Shore junior Margaret Klag (Silver Spring, MD/Sherwood) took first in 2:32.79, while sophomore Samantha Shaffer (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown) was second in 2:35.07. Junior Colleen M. Costello (Exeter, RI/Exeter-West Greenwich Regional) beat out Gettysburg's Carla McCoy by less than four-tenths of a second to take third place in 2:42.56 and get the Shorewomen back within striking distance at 96-92.

Washington's 1-2-3 finish in the breaststroke meant that the winner of the 400 freestyle relay would win the meet. The Shorewomen pushed hard, but a strong final leg by Gettysburg's Heather Gallagher gave the Bullets the race win in 3:45.88 and the 109-96 meet win. The Shore team of freshman Ana Thomas (New Smyrna Beach, FL/Spruce Creek), senior Stacy Sines (Wilmington, DE/Mt. Pleasant), senior Sara Hardy (Birchrunville, PA/Owen J. Roberts), and Vasquez was second in 3:47.25.

The Shorewomen led the meet early on as they won the first two events. Sophomore Ana Prado (La Coruda, Spain/Tirso), Klag, senior Julie Meirs (Cream Ridge, NJ/Peddie), and Sines took first in the 400 medley relay in 4:09.77 and Vasquez won the 1000 freestyle in 10:59.85. The Shorewomen later won the 200 butterfly as sophomore Emily Rawson (Derwood, MD/Montgomery), who began the final lap in second, rallied to take first place in 2:15.57.

Other second-place finishes were turned in by Sines in the 200 freestyle (1:59.89), Klag in the 50 freestyle (26.35), Shaffer in the 200 individual medley (2:18.97), Thomas in the 100 freestyle (57.16), and Prado in the 200 backstroke (2:18.78). Thomas's time in the 100 free was good enough to place her among WC's top ten fastest swimmers all-time in that event.

The loss ended an historic 24-meet win streak for the Shorewomen, which included a perfect 12-0 mark last season, a first for the program. Washington's last loss before today was to Gettysburg in the season opener two years ago.

The Shorewomen are back in action Wednesday with a 6:00 p.m. non-conference meet at Eastern Shore rival Salisbury.

EVENT RESULTS