After the grueling, three-day long NESCAC Championship at Bowdoin in Brunswick, Maine, the Amherst women’s swim team claimed second in the conference with a total of 1,367 points. The purple and white finished behind archrival Williams, who captured their fourth consecutive conference title with a total of 1,856 points.

First-year Ingrid Shu was sole swimmer for Amherst to claim an individual title. Nearly breaking the NESCAC meet record of 23.27, Shu glided into first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.62. The decorated rookie also aided in the 200-yard freestyle relay team’s third place finish. In addition to Shu, the relay team was comprised of Geralyn Lam ’18, Natalie Rumpelt ’20 and Destin Groff ’17. Lam also collected a fourth place finish in the 50-yard butterfly, clocking in at 25.60.

During the second day of competition, Amherst’s 200-yard medley relay team of junior Stephanie Moriarty, Lam, Groff and Shu claimed third in a time of 1:44.96. Bridgette Kwong ’19 swam to a third place finish for the purple and white in the 400-yard IM (4:26.01). Moriarty also finished fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.07. In diving, Jackie Palermo ’19 added another fourth place finish in the one-meter diving (416.75).

Going into the third day of competition, Amherst maintained their second-place standing and Williams was in position to keep their lead and claim yet another championship.

Although the Ephs were ultimately out of reach, the purple and white put on an impressive performance for the final day of the meet. Kwong and Moriarty took third and fourth place, respectively, in the 200-yard backstroke with times of 2:02.34 and 2:02.42. In one of the most exciting events of the day, Rumpelt, Shu, Lam and Moriarty secured a second place finish in the 400-yard freestyle, clocking a time of 3:27.42.

While the purple and white were unable to claim the title, several Amherst swimmers recorded times that qualified them for the NCAA Division III Championships in March.

Before the Amherst women go on a nearly month-long hiatus, the team will travel to Wesleyan this Sunday, Feb. 19 for their February Invite.