GRAND RAPIDS – No one can blame Laura Steavenson if she is exhausted Saturday night. The senior from Dexter was first to the wall in the 1,650-yard freestyle and third in the 200 free and she joined the 800 free relay team as Albion completed competition in a quadrangular meet at Calvin College.
Steavenson completed the 1,650 in 18:58.91, nearly four seconds ahead of Taylor Hutton from Carthage College. She finished the 200 in 2:02.78, while teammate Kylene Slocum was seventh. The 800 free relay (Abigail Slager, Steavenson, Anna Hargrove and Mackenzie Chesley) posted a time of 8:30.60.
Albion started the day with a runner-up finish in the 200 medley relay. The team of Anna Hargrove, Slocum, Slager and Lauren Pawelec achieved a time of 1:55.12 to finish 4 ½ seconds behind Ohio Northern.
Albion's team score received a 44-point boost in the 100 butterfly. Abby Slager finished fourth (1:05.98) and she was followed by Madison Vaive in seventh, Mackenzie Chesley in eighth and Pawelec in 11th.
The Britons racked up 43 points in the 400 individual medley. Hailey Sambor was third (5:07.69). She was followed by Haley DeFeyter in fifth, Nicole Manthei in 10th and Tess Haadsma in 11th.
There was a 39-point haul in the 100 backstroke thanks to a runner-up finish by Anna Hargrove. Hargrove reached the finish in 1:02.92, while Jourden Burke finished ninth, Haley Wallis came in 10th, and Julia DiFiore was 11th.
Another 39 points came in the 200 backstroke. Slager and Burke finished fifth and sixth, respectively, Wallis added a 10th-place finish and DiFiore was 12th.
The 100 free produced 33 points. Slocum's time of 56.72 seconds was good for fifth place. Hargrove, who usually swims backstroke events, was eighth. Pawelec was 12th and Molly Blank 15th.
Sambor finished fourth (2:36.72) as Albion picked up 26 points in the 200 breaststroke. Sarah Kilbride was 11th, Nicole Manthei was 12th.
Chesley finished Albion's individual scoring with a sixth-place finish in the 200 butterfly (2:35.27).
Albion completed the meet by finishing fourth and fifth in the 400 free relay. The 'A' team of Vaive, Slager, Alex Wilkins and Hargrove completed the race in 3:52.22.
Albion scored 731 ½ points to finish third in the team standings.
Next up for Albion is a Jan. 16 dual meet at Hope College.
