Women’s Swimming Glides Past WNEC, 140-119

Click here for complete meet result

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College 200-meter freestyle relay team set a new school record and pool record by clocking a 1:59:07 to help lift the Blazers to a 140-119 victory over Western New England College (WNEC) in Tuesday afternoon’s women’s swimming dual meet at Partyka Natatorium.

With the win, Elms improves to 4-5 overall, while WNEC falls to 3-8 on the season.

The team of freshman Chalis Bird (Windsor, Mass.), sophomore Ashley Arbo (Kensington, Conn.), junior Theresa Pitassi (Naugatuck, Conn.) and freshman Tessa Dudunake (Northampton, Mass.) bested the previous school record by 64 one-hundredths of a second. The team of Pitassi, Arbo, Bird and freshman Emalee Furtek (Ludlow, Mass.) swam a 1:59.71 on Jan. 9. The squad’s time of 1:59.07 is also a new pool record, previously set by the University of New England in 2006.

Dudunake added a trio of first place-finishes, clocking a 2:41.15 in the 200-meter individual medley, a 29.82 in the 50-meter freestyle, and a 1:15.63 in the 100-meter IM.

Arbo, Pitassi and sophomore Katie Roberts (Torrington, Conn.) each notched two individual wins in the contest.

Arbo clocked a top time of 33.53 in the 50-meter backstroke and a 1:14.32 in the 100-meter freestyle. Pitassi swam a 2:26.43 in the 200-meter freestyle and earned first place honors in the 400-meter freestyle (5:17.33); while Roberts cruised to her victories in the 50-meter breaststroke (39.45) and the 100-meter breaststroke.

Bird also claimed top individual honors in the 100-meter freestyle, registering a 1:05.96 in the event.

WNEC’s Aimee Smachetti (Bristol, Conn.) raced to a pair of victories in the 100-meter butterfly (1:14.42) and the 50-meter butterfly (33.85).

The team of Danielle Caron (Marlborough, Mass.), Courtney Fitzpatrick (Stratford, Conn.), Smachetti, and Krista Goulet (Saco, Maine) clocked a 2:23.38 in the 200-meter medley relay to finish first for the Golden Bears.

Elms returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 23 when it travels to Gordon College. The Blazers will take on Gordon and Norwich in tri-meet action set to begin at 12:00 p.m.