UConn and Villanova split the Huskies’ season opener on Saturday, with the Villanova women earning a 175-152 victory. On the men’s side, UConn claimed a 191-113 win. Villanova’s Kaisla Kollanus grabbed wins in the 50 and 100 to help her team overtake the Huskies.
UConn:
Women:
STORRS, Conn. – Senior Laura Ruttan (Stittsville, Ontario) posted two individual victories in the University of Connecticut women’s swimming and diving team’s 175-152 setback to Villanova in Friday’s season opener at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium.
Ruttan finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:06.38 before taking the top spot in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:22.88.
Junior Sophie Nothnagle (Victor, N.Y.) had a productive meet for the Huskies, taking first-place in the 200-yard butterfly (2:03.97) and swam the 500-yard freestyle in 4:59.80 for a third-place finish. Nothnagle and Ruttan teamed up with freshmen Annika Grewal(Oakville, Ontario) and Jackie Van Lew (Tinton Falls, N.J.) to come in second in the 400-yard medley relay (3:50.47).
Van Lew topped the competition in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:51.67. Grewal tallied first-place in the 200-yard backstroke (2:02.15) and third in the 100-yard backstroke (57.62).
UConn’s divers also had an impressive showing on the day with four members qualifying for the 2016 NCAA Zone Championships. Senior Taryn Urbanus (Quincy, Mass.), juniorsAlexandra Butera (Havertown, Pa.) and Amanda Craig (Woodbridge, Conn.) and freshmanMonica Marcello (Middletown, Conn.) will be making the trip to Annapolis, Md. on March 7 for the event.
The Huskies will hit the road for the first time this season to visit Brown on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Men
STORRS, Conn. – The University of Connecticut men’s swimming and diving team swept four races and tallied nine first-place finishes for a 191-113 victory over Villanova at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium in the Huskies’ regular season opener on Friday afternoon.
Senior captain Jeff Magin (Brookfield, Conn.) led the pack with two individual first-place honors, winning the 100-yard backstroke in 50.74 and the 100-yard freestyle in 47.32. Magin joined classmate and co-captain Greg Baliko (Fanwood, N.J.), junior James Donlevy(Lake Grove, N.Y.) and senior Ryan Walsh for a first-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay (3:27.33).
UConn claimed the top-three spots in four different races, starting with the 200-yard freestyle that featured sophomore Kyle Kimura (Tampa, Fla.) (1:42.09), freshman Matthew Dagenais (Middletown, Conn.) (1:45.70) and sophomore Daniel Krentsa(Brookfield, Conn.) (1:45.95). In the 100-yard breaststroke, Baliko swam to first in 58.40 while freshmen Mark Hunter (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) and Alan Li (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) took second and third in times of 59.30 and 1:01.06, respectively.
Junior Chris Girg (Burbach, Germany) saw a top finish when he swam the 200-yard butterfly in 1:52.98. Walsh clocked in at 1:57.47 for second and sophomore Brandon Cole(Trumbull, Conn.) touched the wall at 2:00.18 for third. Sophomore Greg Dziopa (Rocky Hill, Conn.) swam the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:14.24 for a first-place honor. Dagenais and sophomore Vincent Camin (Andover, Mass.) rounded out the trio in times of 2:14.69 and 2:15.06, respectively.
Donlevy also finished first in the 50-yard freestyle (21.06) while freshman Jeffrey Tung (Reno, Nev.) swam past the competition in a time of 1:57.11 to win the 200-yard backstroke.
The Huskies are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 31 when they head to Providence, R.I. to face Brown.
Swimming news courtesy of UConn Swimming & Diving.
Villanova:
Women
Storrs, Conn. – The Villanova women’s swimming and diving team had another strong performance Saturday afternoon, defeating their longtime rival UConn by a 175-152 margin.
Villanova would capture nine first place, 12 second place and nine third places finishes.
Freshmen Darby Goodwin and Elise Pidutti along with seniors Fiona Hardie and Kaisla Kollanus started off the meet with a win in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3.49.40.
Caitlin Daday won the 1000 freestyle at 10:14.67 as Villanova swept the event. Erin Merkle (10:24.51) and Emily Mayo (10:32.65) placed second and third. Mayo would win the 500 free with a time of 4:56.93, and also placed second in the 200 free with a time of 1:51.73.
Goodwin and Gabby Daigneault took first and second place in the 100 backstroke. Goodwin finished at 56.55 while Daigneault finished at 57.45.
Goodwin would finish second in the 200 back with a time of 2.02.25 just 10 hundredths of a second behind first place winner Annika Grewal. The Jupiter, Fla. native would also capture first in 200 IM with a time of 2:05.65.
In the 100 yard breaststroke, Pidutti placed second with a time of 1.07.09. She would also finish second in the 200 IM, and third in the 200 breast.
The 100 fly saw the Wildcats sweep the event as Fiona Hardie took home first place with a showing of 56.03. Freshman Alexa Fabbri placed second at 57.17, and Mackenize Niness third at 57.44.
In the 200 fly, ‘Nova took second and third place as Fiona Hardie finished with a time of 2:05.24 which was 45 hundredths of a second faster Niness who had a time of 2.05.69.
‘Nova would sweep then 50 free as Kollanus (23.75), Fabbri (24.27), and freshman Taylor Wilson (24.45) went 1-2-3.
The same trio would then sweep the 100 free as Kollanus won with a time of 51.33. Wilson (52.03) would finish 14 hundredths of a second faster than Fabbri (52.17) for second place.
The women will return to action on Friday, November 6, through Saturday, November 7 for the BIG EAST/Big 10 Quad meet hosted by Rutgers. Villanova will be joined by the aforementioned Scarlet Knights, Georgetown, and Seton Hall.
Men
Storrs, Conn.- The Villanova men’s swimming and diving team fell in its second meet of the year to the UConn Huskies Saturday afternoon, 191-113.
The men earned five first place, five second place and seven third place finishes.
Junior Harrison Rodts gave the Wildcat men their first win of the day as the Marblehead, Mass. native won the 1000 freestyle with a time of 9:55.68.
Rodts would then help ‘Nova sweep the 500 free with a first place time of 4:58.39. John Paul Naughton and Patrick Sullivan came in second and third place respectively with times of 4.59.41 and 5.01.77.
The men would also sweep the 100 butterfly as Jake Hoin took home first place with a time of 51.98. Senior Murphy Smith placed second with a time of 54.06, and freshman Francis Garvey placed third with a 56.29 showing.
Nikolai Tchobanov and and Ryan Murtha would place first and second in the 200 IM with times of 2.04.56 for Tchobanov and 2.05.71 for Murtha.
In the 400 freestyle relay, Villanova would sweep the event as the “A” team of Hoin, Luke Sabal, Joe Moleski, and Smith took home first place with a 3.11.52 showing.
The men will return to action on Friday, November 6, through Saturday, November 7 for the BIG EAST/Big 10 Quad meet hosted by Rutgers. Villanova will be joined by the aforementioned Scarlet Knights, Georgetown, and Seton Hall.
Swimming news courtesy of Villanova Swimming & Diving.
