Saint Mary's will face Calvin College and Albion College in dual meet competition at Calvin Saturday in the Belles' final meet of the season.
Saint Mary's is coming off a 143-59 loss to Kalamazoo Friday in an MIAA dual meet at the Notre Dame Rolf's Aquatic Center, the Belles' final home meet.
Senior captain Kelly Nelis capped off a successful home swimming season, posting wins in both the 200-yard freestyle (2:02.95) and 500-yard freestyle (5:34.02). But Nelis captured the only two events for the Belles of the 12-event meet.
Regardless of past scores, the Belles view them as strides of preparation the MIAA Swimming and Diving Championships in Grand Rapids, Mich. from Feb. 9-12.
Belles coach Lynn Kachmarik said with those championships as the team's season-ending goal, they have confidently begun their taper period of decreased training in which the team does less yardage and more fast swimming to get into peak race shape. The meet at Calvin Saturday will be a pre-race of sorts for that show, in which Kachmarik hopes to see her swimmers "have as many personal-best times or season-best times as possible" and to enjoy the final races of the year for three graduating seniors - Stephanie Hile and captains Katie Dingeman and Kelly Nelis.
Becki Dorner
Deirdre Krasula
