WASHINGTON, D.C. - The past three days have
been busy ones for the Gallaudet University women's swim team as
the Bison earned two victories and celebrated the program's 50th
anniversary. On Sunday, Gallaudet closed out its home
regular-season schedule with a 92-82 victory against Capital
Athletic Conference foe Hood College before a large and supportive
crowd on Senior Day at the Field House pool.
Junior Carlisle Robinson (Carmel, Ind.) stole
the show with three first-place finishes as she accounted for 30
percent of the Bison team point total. Robinson started her day
with the 200-yard IM where she touched the wall first with a time
of 2:26.75. Two events later, she was first in the 100-yard
freestyle (1:00.60), three seconds ahead of Hood's swimmer Aleece
Groom. Robinson's final event was the 500-yard freestyle where she
crushed the field with a time of 6:07.18.
Senior Rachel Steingieser (New Market, Md.) had
an impressive performance as she finished second in the 200-yard
freestyle (2:25.38), third in the 100-yard freestyle (1:07.71) and
fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:25.58). Gallaudet coach
Bill Snape paid tribute to the Bison senior
swimmers on the day including women's swimmer Katie
Day (St. Elmo, Ill.) for their dedicated service to the
program.
Junior Misella Tomita (Kahului, Hawaii) was the
other Bison with a first-place showing as she was first to finish
in the 100-yard backstroke as she edged Hood's Taryn Scafide by two
seconds with a time of 1:16.44. Tomita also had two second-place
finishes in the 50-yard freestyle (28.70 seconds) and the 100-yard
butterfly (1:23.58).
Freshman Sara Moore (Charleston, WVa.) finished
second in the 100-yard freestyle (14:47.86) and the 100-yard
breaststroke (1:18.98) and was third in the 200-yard IM (2:51.07)
behind Robinson. Fellow freshman Tong Song
(Beijing, China) had three third-place finishes in the 200-yard
free (2:28.20), 500-yard freestyle (6:39.79) and the 100-yard
breaststroke (1:19.13).
The Bison moved one step closer to ending a long drought in
program history with today's win. Gallaudet needs one more victory
to finish the regular-season with a .500 record which hasn't been
accomplished in 19 seasons. The last time Gallaudet finished with a
.500 or better record came during the 1990-91 season when most of
the current roster wasn't even born. GU will have a strong chance
to earn win number six on Wednesday, January 27, as the Bison
travel to Baltimore to face the College of Notre Dame in a
non-conference meet that begins at 6 p.m.
