Bowdoin’s track and swim teams competed against each other recently at the 11th annual Aquathalon. Starting out on the track in Farley Field House, 45 runners and swimmers ran one mile before ditching their sneakers and diving into the LeRoy Greason pool for a 200-yard swim.

The men’s track team beat the swim team 24 to 33. The women’s swim team bested the runners, 17 to 44. Full scores here.

“Our best chance to win is in the odd numbered years when we run first,” said track coach Peter Slovenski. “When we swim first, the runners get too tired and too waterlogged to catch up. This year we reached the pool with 20- to 30-second leads. The swimmers caught our women’s team, but the men’s track team was able to hold them off.”

This year, Helen Newton ’14, a swimmer and repeat Aquathalon champion (she won in 2011), broke the meet record by posting an 8:59 time. The previous record of 9:01 was set in 2012 by Olivia Pfeifer ’16.

Three-time champion (2010, 2011 and 2012) Ryan Peabody ’14 from the swim team placed second this year behind first-year Matt Jacobson of the track team.

“I used to just recruit fast runners,” Slovenski said. “But we’ve lost the Aquathalon so many times that now when I talk to prospective students, I ask them how well they run AND swim. Matt Jacobson is the best combination runner and swimmer I’ve ever recruited.”

The series score:
Swim team women: 9 wins
Track team women: 2 wins

Swim Team men: 9 wins
Track Team men: 2 wins