Women's swimming kicks off their spring season
The Rice University women's swimming team split a win and a loss in Arkansas this weekend, falling to the University of Arkansas on Saturday and defeating the University of Arkansas, Little Rock on Sunday. These meets were Rice's first events since facing Texas A&M University on Dec. 20.
The team traveled 13 hours to Fayetteville, Ark., where they faced No. 23 Arkansas. Junior Casey Clark posted the team's only first place score, swimming a time of 1:49.98 in the 200-yard freestyle. A handful of Rice swimmers places second in their events, including junior Erin Flanigan in the 500 free (4:57.70), seniors Chelsea Fong and Karina Wlostowska who tied in the 50 free (24.13) and senior Michelle Gean in the 100 backstroke (57.64).
Freshmen Marita Sailor and junior Rachel Moody also earned second-place finishes. Sailor finished second in the 200-yard butterfly (2:07.86) and 400-yard individual medley, and Moody placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:04.31). In addition, the team placed second in the 4-x-100 yard relay and the 200-yard medley relay. The team ended up losing 207-86.
Sophomore Cora McKenzie, who swam in the 200-medley relay, said the Owls' showing against the Razorbacks did not reflect the usual caliber of the team's swimming.
"We've been through some tough training the last few weeks, and in the past, we've been able to push past, this and really perform at meets," McKenzie said. "We did not compete at this high level against Arkansas, however, which is something to work on."
However, the tables turned the following day after Rice won nine out of the 10 events against Little Rock. Clark, Flanigan and McKenzie provided great performances, along with senior Kim Steinhouse, who won the 100-yard freestyle and anchored the winning 200 free relay. Sophomores Taylor Armstrong and Shelly Patton also won individual events in the 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, respectively. Rice topped Little Rock, 127-56.
Clark said the matchup was a good spirit booster before entering the toughest part of their season.
"Our meet against Little Rock was a rare opportunity for us to mix up some of our events and swim some different things," Clark said. "I think mixing up our events and having some fun was very good for team morale, especially in this stretch before conference."
With about one month left to go until the conference meet Feb. 26-Mar. 1, the Rice women's swimming team is 3-3 in dual meets. This weekend, the season continues with the annual quad meet at the University of Houston against Louisiana State University, Tulane University and UH. Last year, the Owls came in second behind LSU, which hosted the meet.
Until then, Head Coach Seth Huston said the team is focusing on polishing its performance to prepare for the tail end of the season.
"We're just trying to gauge where we're trying to fine tune and sharpen the team to be our best," Huston said. "We're in that stage of the season, and that's what we're really working on."
More from The Rice Thresher
Let’s heal how we talk about food
How should we discuss food, then? I don’t want to be misunderstood as advising against all food-related conversations. I feel quite the opposite: eating is one of humanity’s oldest social rituals. It’s meant to bring us together. We’re at our best when we engage in conversations that center the enjoyment of food rather than its nutritional content.
Douglas Brinkley, Rice history professor and CNN commentator, talks using history to navigate the Trump era
While the world watched the windows of the U.S. Capitol being smashed and offices of U.S. Congresspeople being vandalized with violent and unwavering conviction in the historic Jan. 6 riot, one of Rice’s own was on call with journalists and TV anchors for hours.
96 percent of student petitions approved for early on-campus arrival
Of the 550 petitions submitted by students to the Office of Undergraduates, 528 were approved for early arrival prior to Feb. 15, according to Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman. While most of these students will be moving back to campus by Jan. 25, Gorman said 33 will arrive later, between that date and Feb. 15.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.