The Binghamton women’s swimming and diving team may have finished last in the America East (AE) Championship meet this weekend, but the Bearcats have chosen to focus on the positive aspects of the meet, showing that they would not go down without a fight.
Binghamton finished the regular season with a record of 2-8 (0-2 AE), but is looking forward to much better days.
The women had a slow start to the competition, recording just 61 points on Friday, the first day of events. Despite being down early, the Bearcats found a spark on Saturday.
“We started to see it Friday night in the form of [sophomore] Maria Trivino,” BU head coach Brad Smith said. “That was the wake-up call to the team. From then on, we were on fire.”
Trivino qualified for the finals on three consecutive days to finish the meet, giving a glimpse of what hopefully is to come in the team’s future. She made the finals for her performances in the 200 and 400 IM and is seen as a team leader in just her second year on the squad.
“She is a hard-working girl,” Smith said. “She’s always here to learn. She’s willing and wanting to make herself better.”
Trivino’s performance appeared to be infectious, as numerous Bearcats finished with their season-best times throughout the tournament. In the 800-yard freestyle relay, Trivino, junior Meghan Feminella, sophomore Abby Humphreys and senior Taryn McLaughlin finished with a time of 7:40:07, 2.03 seconds faster than their previous season-highs. In addition, sophomore Courtney Foley and seniors Claudia Coccary, Stephanie Malyszka and Selina Ng completed the 200 medley relay in 1:46:37, a time that was .41 seconds faster than their previous best this season.
On the diving side, senior Katie Ellsworth scored 177 points in the three-meter dive, qualifying for the finals and finishing sixth overall.
Coach Smith sees the multiple improved performances as hope for a higher finish in the future.
“The future’s bright for the program,” Smith said. “A majority of the swimmers in those events were freshmen and sophomores and we have a strong freshman class coming in. That’s very promising.”
Impressive performances from underclassmen and a formidable recruiting class seem to show that this team is heading in the right direction. A valuable combination of youth and leadership gives the Bearcats a chance to be a tough opponent in coming years. But for now, the team will continue to attempt to make strides for next season.
“The off-season is going to be about getting stronger mentally and physically,” Smith said. “We’re always looking to improve.”