KENOSHA, Wis. – Anna Hargrove isn't ready to surrender her status as the top backstroke performer at Albion College quite yet.
Despite a challenge from first-year student-athlete Anna Moore in the preliminary, Hargrove turned in a winning time of 58.3 seconds in the 100-yard backstroke final Friday night. Moore completed her morning swim in 57.38 seconds, nearly a second ahead of Hargrove.
"There is competition all over the place on the women's side," Albion head coach Jake Taber said. "Good things will continue to happy if we keep the healthy competition. They are making each other better."
Moore and Hargrove worked together to help Albion win the relay events contested Friday night. Joined by Kylene Slocum and Abigail Slager, the Britons were first in the 200 medley (1:49.52). Moore, Hargove, Slager and Camila Manrique achieved a winning time of 3:36.69 in the 400 freestyle.
The 100 backstroke was not the only one-two finish for the Britons. Hargove and Mary Noble swam to the top two places in the 100 individual medley, with Syriah Dobis coming in sixth.
Albion also reaped points in the 400 IM with Slager and Katelyn Killewald finishing third and fourth, respectively, and in the 100 breaststroke where Slocum (fourth), Natalie Nichols (seventh), and Lauren Hall (eighth) reached the final. The 50 freestyle featured Amy Krausmann in fourth, Molly Blank in fifth and Lauren Pawelec in sixth.
Manrique added points in the 200 (third) and 500 (seventh) freestyle events, Katie Ferrero was third in the 200 butterfly, and Mary Noble was fourth in the 500 freestyle.
Lauren Young also produced points with a fifth-place finish in 1-meter diving.
Saturday events include the 200 IM, 100 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 butterfly and 1,650 freestyle.