By Kim Andrews
Elm Staff Writer
In preparation for the Centennial Conference, the Shorewomen participated in a three-day invitational meet hosted by Franklin & Marshall College from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23. Amidst a roster of Division II and Division III schools, the WC team came out in 11th place out of 13.
The team kicked off the meet with a 15th finish in 4:05.33 in the 400-yard medley relay by sophomores Julia Banker, Vanessa Fry, Kenzie Gorman, and Brooke Bailey. To end the night off strong, Banker’s 100 backstroke portion finish of 1:01.29 placed her at eighth in the team’s all-time history.
Banker, senior Lauren Paules, Bailey, and junior Gabby Bonds finished 12th in the 800 freestyle relay side in 8:08.53. The quartet of sophomores Sarah Seale and Mollie Kravitz-Yoffee, freshman Ellie Seip and junior Maggie Boyle followed with a close 18th finish in 8:51.97.
“The team is aiming to establish our best times so far this season, and I anticipate many ladies achieving personal lifetime-best performances,” Head Coach James Koval said.
The meet reinforced the team’s focus on time and overall improvement as Banker surpassed her best from the 2025 Centennial Conference Championships by 1.14 seconds. She broke her best time in the 400 individual medley final in 4:36.15.
Banker made program history again, moving into the top spot with a time of 2;09.33 in the 200 backstroke. She finished the 500 freestyle final in 5:16.11 at 11th place and took 11th place again in the 100 individual medley.
Bailey placed fifth in the 200 butterfly in 2:10.31 and 17th in the 200 individual medley in 2:11.38. She moved up to seventh in the team’s all-time top 10 after finishing 10th in the 100 backstroke in 59.61 and 14th in 100 butterfly in 58.40.
Paules secured points for the team with 17th place finish in the 1650 freestyle, 14th in the 500 freestyle and 16th in the 200 freestyle. Gorman delivered a time of 1:03.34 in the 100 individual medley, securing 13th in the event and fourth all-time at WC. Fry recorded 24th in the 100 breaststroke and marked the meet with a final 22nd in the 200 breaststroke on Sunday night.
“We’ve had lots of great swims and are looking forward to building our team in future years to have the numbers on our side,” Paules said.
The quartet of Bailey, Seip, Paules and Gorman finished 14th in the 400 freestyle relay on Sunday night. Seale, Bonds, Banker, and freshman Jordyn Gutshall followed with a 24th finish in 3:49.33.
To close the 2025 portion of this season’s schedule, the Shorewomen are off to Widener University on Dec. 6 to compete in a non-conference meet at 1 p.m.
Photo Caption: Senior Lauren Paules placed 14th in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:18.75 and 16th in the 200 with 1:59.33.
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics