About The Team
After starting the 2011-12 campaign with a record 3-4 which
included an impressive win over NCAA Division II Assumption
College, the Elms College women’s swim team, directed by
eighth-year head coach Bill Tyler, won six of its
final seven dual meets to finish the season with a 9-5 record in
head-to-head competition. At season’s end, the women’s
swim team set 27 new records by a total of four different
swimmers.
The Blazers, who placed second at the annual Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship and 10th out of 22 teams at the season-ending New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Championship, were led by GNAC Swimmer of the Year sophomore Devon DeGrazia (Westport, Mass.). DeGrazia, who notched a new GNAC, Simmons pool and Elms school record in the 500-yard freestyle (5:28.63), added a GNAC and Elms school record in the 1000-yard freestyle, swimming to a first place time of 11:24.39.
Also impressive were junior Tessa Dudunake (Northampton, Mass.) and sophomore Ashley Kirchner (Dalton, Mass.). Dudunake swam to three first place finishes in her individual events which included the 100-yard breaststroke (1:11.95), the 50-yard breaststroke (32.46) and the 100-yard individual medley (1:04.96) and was named to the GNAC All-Tournament team for her effort. Kirchner also made the GNAC all-tournament squad on the strength of a first place finish in the 50-yard butterfly (28.90).
Junior Chalis Bird (Windsor, Mass.) joined DeGrazia, Dudunake and Kirchner on the GNAC all-tournament team as part of the winning 400-yard and 200-yard medley relay teams which notched respective times of 4:20.65 (a GNAC and Simmons pool record) and 1:58.30.
At the NEISDA Championship, Elms’ 10th place
finish was the best among all GNAC teams. DeGrazia set a trio of
school records during the three-day meet in the 1650-yard,
1000-yard and 500-yard freestyle events, while her opening 200-yard
freestyle leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay was also a new school
mark. DeGrazia was named to the All-New England team, while
Dudunake notched a pair of top six finishes including fifth in the
100-yard individual medley and sixth in the 50-yard breaststroke to
also earn All-New England honors.
The 2011-12 also marked the fourth consecutive season that senior Katie Roberts (Torrington, Conn.) qualified for the NEISDA Championship. Also qualifying for the New England championship were juniors Tricia Ruell (Chicopee, Mass.) and Emalee Furtek (Ludlow, Mass.), sophomore Kelly Gilhooly (Bloomfield, Conn.) and freshman Rebecca Yungk (New Britain, Conn.).