MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - The Trinity College Bantams came 0.46 seconds shy in the final relay (200 free) of victory, but still produced numerous individual and team highlights, in its first action in 46 days this afternoon at Wesleyan University. The Bantams won nine of the ten individual swimming events and the meet-opening 400-yard medley relay, but the Cardinals edged them in the team scoring, 154-146.  Trinity sophomore Morgan Lenoce (Westport, Conn.) and first-years Isabelle Tagliaferro (Bedford, N.H.) and Madeline Wambach (Boston, Mass.) each won two individual races and a relay.  Senior Olivia Ramos (Weston, Mass.) was Trinity's top diver with a third-place finish off the three-meter board.  Trinity is now 2-2 in dual meets with Wheaton College up next in Norton, Massachusetts on Saturday at noon.

Lenoce, Tagliaferro, Wambach and sophomore Marissa Lopez-Ona (Philadelphia, Pa.) started things off with a winning time of 4:01.50 in the 200-yard freestyle relay, taking first place by over 6.25 seconds. Lenoce went on to win both backstroke races with season-best times of 59.52 over 100 yards and 2:08.98 over 200 yards.  Wambach won the 200-yard butterfly at 209.93 and the 100-yard fly at 58.37, while Tagliaferro swept the sprint free with winning times of 24.97 and 54.43 in the 50- and 100-yard events, respectively.  Lopez-Ona added a first-place time 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:30.23 and senior tri-captain Zoryanna Matlashewski (Anoka, Minn.) won the 200-yard IM at 2:15.32.

Trinity trailed, 143-140, heading into the final relay after Matlashewski, Lopez-Ona, and sophomore Katherine Dustin (Feeding Hills, Mass.) placed 1-3-5 in the 200-yard IM to give the Bantams 13 points in the event.  Lenoce, Tagliaferro, senior Emily Murphy (Gansevoort, N.Y.) and junior Rachel Papalski (Flemngton, N.J.) posted a time of 1:40.84 in the 200-yard free relay, but Wesleyan's foursome edged them at 1:40.38 to earn 11 points and clinch the team victory.  

"I am very proud of the way we competed today," said Trinity Head Coach Carlos Vega. "It was a very tough week and after 2.5 weeks of being on campus and four meets canceled. We proved to ourselves just how mentally tough we can be when faced with a little adversity and an opportunity to compete!"