According to the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, a team of six female swimmers recently completed the first all-female double crossing of the Catalina Channel.
The relay consisted of Abby Bergman, Rebecca Nevitt, Eliza Cummings, Cathleen Pruden, Gabriela Kovacikova, and Charlotte Samuels.
The women represented the Seven Sisters Colleges association: a consortium of seven historically women’s liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States. The consortium includes Mount Holyoke College, Vassar College, Wellesley College, Smith College, Radcliffe College, Bryn Mawr College, and Barnard College. All of the relay’s members are current students or alumni of a Seven Sisters school.
The swimmers began their historic swim on Friday June 16th off of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. They swam across the Catalina Channel in both directions, completing a total distance of 40.38 miles.
The relay was also supported by an all-female kayak crew. The kayak crew’s members included Jax Cole, Alicia Bartley, Heather Barber, and Melissa King.
Each member swam for one hour before exchanging with the next swimmer. The team reached Catalina Island after 8 hours and 16 minutes, marking the halfway point of their swim. The relay then began their swim back towards the mainland, finishing with a time of 18 hours and four minutes.
Go Cathleen! Go UBears!
Very proud of these ladies.