The women’s swim team did not have any representatives in the 200-yard butterfly at last year’s ACC Championships.

That will change this year, thanks to four freshmen.

In the brightest spot of the Terps’ third place finish at the Terrapin Cup Invitational, Jen Vogel took first with a 2:01.91 in the 200-yard butterfly and was followed by fellow freshmen Nina Rossi in fifth, Annie Broome in seventh and Patty DeScenza in eighth.

For the freshmen, who all live in the same dorm, it was a thrill to see each other lined up before the final heat.

“It’s just awesome knowing that we’re half the heat, and we’re all there cheering for each other,” Rossi said.

It was Vogel who shined in the race, earning an NCAA B cut time, which will place her under consideration for a spot in the season-ending championship meet.

“[It’s great just] having watched her move through the water the last four or five days, and then just to see her gain a lot of confidence in what she’s doing,” coach Dave Durden said. “She got faster as the meet moved on, which was really good to see.”

Another freshman, Andrea Lehner, was strong for the Terps, finishing third in the 1650-yard freestyle and fourth in the 200-yard backstroke, both NCAA B cut times.

West Virginia and Kansas finished in front of the Terps in the three-day event.

The Mountaineers also won on the men’s side, as the Terps finished seventh.

Durden was proud of both teams’ performances because teams such as West Virginia get their athletes in top shape for the invitational season, while the Terps choose to continue training until the championship season in February.

“Dave told us from the beginning, ‘This is just a meet. Just go in and do your best. We’re going to be proud of you either way. Just make sure you work on the technical stuff,'” Rossi said.

Eric Thomasson, who placed 18th in the 100-yard backstroke and 21st in both the 200-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly, took a different approach.

“I was looking to it as a challenge,” he said. “They’re swimming the best times of the year, so we have to go up and race to challenge their best swims against what we have and what we can do.”

At this point in the season, Durden is happy with his team’s progress.

“Even looking at our performances compared to last year, we are so much further ahead than we were last year,” he said. “It’s fun to see them take what they’re learning and then apply it to the next year and get better and faster.”

Contact reporter Eric Detweiler at edetweilerdbk@gmail.com.