Swimming Takes a Tough Loss Against a Strong Choate Squad

WALLINGFORD, CT – This weekend, boys and girls varsity swimming and diving teams traveled to Choate Rosemary Hall to face the school’s respective squads. After a grueling three-hour drive, the teams arrived at Choate, ready to compete.The meet fell at a bit of an inopportune time, seeing as some Exeter swimmers were taking the SATs the very same morning. In particular, the girls squad had a few members who were already beat from the test and had to continue to compete, despite their exhaustion. But the girls stuck it out. “We were all a little tired from the three-hour bus ride. Some of us had taken the SATs that morning, and a couple other girls were sick, but as a team we gave it our all,” upper Michelle Ysrael said of the girls squad.The meet was a tough one, with both teams losing to Choate. Big Red’s boys fought hard but fell short only four points, the meet ending with a final score of 91-95. The meet came down to the final relay. “We all worked really hard, but they had a very tight Medley relay that just barely beat us. The final score was very close, though, so I think it was a good meet for the team overall,” lower Aneek Mukherjee said.The girls’ team also lost by a slim margin—only fourteen points, ending the meet at 86-100. The girls, although they put up a strong effort, were tripped up by the longer distance of the Choate pool, and by Choate’s strong diving performance. “The 25 meter pool was also difficult to adjust to since we train in yards,” Ysrael said. “We lead the first half of the meet, and although our divers did a great job, Choate had a few very strong divers that brought up their overall score.”Nevertheless, the girls finished the meet on a strong note. “By the end of the meet, the energy was high on both sides of the pool and we were all cheering each other on,” Ysrael continued. “We gave our best efforts and swam as hard as we could, so despite the final outcome, I am very proud of all the girls on the team.”This meet was the closest competition that both teams have experienced this season. “Just under a dozen races were decided by a second or less, with the meet coming down right to the end,” coach Jean Farnum said of the outcome. She also noted the difficulty of swimming in a meter pool rather than one in yards.Several swimmers stood out this weekend. Among them was lower Anasthasia Saar, who earned personal best times in both her the 100 and 500 Freestyle events. Ysrael also performed extremely well, beating her best time in her Individual Medley event.The girls’ season has been going well, according to Coach Farnum. Although they have seen two meets canceled due to weather complications, the squad is ready and waiting for their three remaining dual meets this season, before going on to compete at New England Championships at Hotchkiss.