CALAIS, France--You can now add the names of Emma Reim (Ledyard, Conn./Ledyard) and Mackenzie Bradley (Sherwood, Ore./Sherwood) to the list of those who have successfully swum the English Channel.  The rising Smith College juniors navigated heavy winds, jellyfish, and a very late night to complete the task about an an hour apart in the late hours of Saturday morning, British Standard Time.

Bradley was the first to reach the shores of France, in just over 13 hours, while Reim completed the swim in 14 hours and 15 minutes. 

"We chose to take an afternoon starting time instead of the traditional early morning start time as the weather forecast looked as if we not even get a chance to try until next week or so," said head coach Kim Bierwert in an email.  "Winds were 10-12 mph at the start which meant higher waves and tough conditions.  Due to the wind and waves we were swimming at only 1+ mile per hour versus their training pace of 3.8 mph in the pool and our anticipated speed of 2.25 mph in open water.  Starting at noon also meant being able to see both shores from hour five until it became dark."

As always, you can read Bradley and Reim's blog about the trip, including a new entry after the swim was completed, by clicking here.