Women’s Swimming & Diving Finishes Fourth, Seaman Ties 100 Free Record

Sunday, December 8

Princeton, NJ

All Day

Brown University

Big Al Open

Women’s Swimming & Diving Finishes Fourth, Seaman Ties 100 Free Record

12/8/2019 10:02:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving

Results

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Brown women's swimming & diving team finished fourth at the Big Al Open with a score of 551 on Sunday at DeNunzio Pool. Junior Taylor Seaman (Brighton, Mich.) highlighted the day by tying the 100 freestyle school record, a mark that Brown Hall of Famer Jennifer Boyd set in 1990.

The invite host, Princeton, took first with 1,123.50 points while Penn State (1,019.50) and Denver (604) followed.

"We made significant progress over last three days of competition in defining who we are as a collective unit in competition," said head coach Kate Kovenock. "The caliber of our performances improved with each of the sessions which is very exciting. It confirms that we should be very confident in the work we've put in so far. And it's also a sign of what's to come for the second half of the season."

Sophomore Emma Whall (Dover, N.H.) led the Bears in the opening event, the 1650 freestyle, with a time of 16:57.76 for eighth place while senior Julia Armitage (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) came in 11th in 17:13.98.

Senior Sarah Welch (Beverly, Mass.) recorded a sixth-place finish in the A-Final of the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:00.49. Brown went 4-5 in the B-Final of the event with senior Amelia Gilchrist (Greensboro, N.C.) (2:00.93) and sophomore Miku Takabayashi (Glastonbury, Conn.) (2:01.52) competing for the Bears. Sophomore Victoria Gong (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) won the C-Final with a time of 2:00.91.

Seaman led all swimmers in the 100 freestyle with a time of 48.84 that tied Boyd for the program record. Senior Marley Cross (Seattle, Wash.) also competed in the A-Final and came in seventh with a time of 50.82.

The Bears were led by freshman Sasha Liu (Piedmont, Calif.) in the 200 breaststroke as she finished third in the B-Final in 2:21.10 while Takabayashi claimed eighth (2:24.48). Additionally, freshman Delora Li (Bellevue, Wash.) won the C-Final, touching the wall in 2:24.28.

Freshman Nell Chidley (Mystic, Conn.) paced the Bears in the 200 butterfly, finishing fifth overall in 1:59.96, her first time under the two minute barrier. Sophomore Caylene Rippon (Hershey, Pa.) took second in the B-Final (2:03.19) with sophomore Maija Ninness (Santa Barbara, Calif.) claiming seventh (2:05.59).

In the final event of the night, Seaman, junior Tory Center (Madison, Wis.), freshman Audrey Orange (New York City, N.Y.) and Cross teamed up for a time of 3:20.54 in the 400 freestyle relay for third place.

The Bears next return to action with a conference meet at Harvard on Wednesday, Jan. 15 starting at 1:00 p.m.