Saint Mary's earned its first win of the season Saturday, as the Belles defeated conference opponent Olivet 153-105 at Rolfs Aquatic Center.
Freshman diver Andrea Canacci, who won both the 1- and 2-meter dive events, led the Belles (1-6). Other top performers for the squad included senior Ellie Watson, who placed first in the 500-yard freestyle, freshman Caroline Neville, who won both the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard freestyle and sophomore Anna Nolan, who took the 50-yard freestyle.
"We had great depth and experience in all of the freestyles and both sprint and distance relays," Belles senior captain Genevieve Splitter said.
Saint Mary's won the meet by 48 points, but did not lead all throughout the meet. Olivet (0-8) had strong showings from its relay team and led the Belles before Saint Mary's came back in its strong suit, the freestyle.
The Belles hope the win will boost their confidence as they prepare for the MIAA championship.
"We will hit the water pretty hard and just improve on our swimming techniques," Splitter said.
Saint Mary's will next compete at the MIAA championships, which will be held from Feb. 13-16 at Jenison High School in Jenison, Mich.
Contact Dong-Hyun Kim at dkim16@nd.edu
