Villanova vs UConn
- October 17, 2024
- Washington, D.C.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Villanova Athletics
The Wildcats started the day placing first in the 200 medley relay with freshman Alana Leen, junior Winnie Jalet, junior Arabella Lee and senior Lainey Quinones clocking in at 1:45.42. The ‘Cats also ended the day with a first-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. This quartet included sophomore Riley Kudlac, graduate Lexi Elkovitch, sophomore Alyssa McHale and sophomore Marlene Blanke with a final time of 3:31.15. Villanova was also able to take second place in that close race with a 3:32.46 finish for sophomore Martina Lonati, sophomore Carlota Colomer, senior Lainey Quinones and freshman Amylia Higgins.
The Wildcats secured the top three finishes in the 1000 freestyle. Sophomore Peri Gaguzis led the group with a time of 10:23.43. Blanke was next to follow with a time of 10:30.57 and freshman Riley Hull was next in line at 10:32.96. In her first collegiate meet, Hull was also able to grab first in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:07.39. Gaguzis swam closely behind her teammate at 5:07.95, giving her a second-place finish.
Kudlac swam a time of 1:53.14 in the 200 freestyle, putting her in first and securing her first event win as a Wildcat. Alongside her was Higgins clocking in second at 1:53.49 with Lonati claiming third in 1:53.57. Freshman Alana Leen claimed third in the 100 backstroke, swimming a time of 57:37. She also earned her first event win when she swam 2:02.21 in the 200 backstroke. In the 100 breaststroke, Colomer came out winning the event in 1:04.16 with Jalet touching third in 1:05.29. Jalet followed up with another third place finish in the 200 breaststroke at 2:23.69 with freshman Annie Honkamp just head of her in second place with a 2:21.01 showing. Honkamp continued her top three finishes with a second-place 200 IM time of 2:07.93. Sophomore Anna Farley won the 200 IM in 2:07.60.
Junior Katie White took the top spot in 200 fly (2:03.34) and Farley followed in third (2:03.69). The 100 fly was another successful event with two ‘Cats finishing in the top three. Lonati won the event in 56.53 with McHale taking third in 57.50. Lonati was also able to pull off third in the 100 freestyle (52.90). Representing the Wildcats in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.3 was Quinones coming in second place.
The ‘Cats earned a second place finish from sophomore Michelle Kasulka in 3 Meter diving with a total score of 241.35.
Head Coach Rick Simpson was very pleased with how the day went for the Wildcats.
“Our women really showed grit and determination today,” he said. “They are in the midst of a fall break training camp and they are heavily fatigued, but they understood that to swim fast in that situation, you need to inconvenience yourself and be uncomfortable throughout the race”.
The Wildcats will be back in the pool at the Villanova Swim Complex as the men and women host Georgetown on Saturday, October 26.
Courtesy: UConn Athletics
Washington, D.C- The UConn women’s swimming and diving finished their road trip 1-1, falling to Villanova Thursday afternoon, before bouncing back with a win over Georgetown University Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies opened their road trip against reigning BIG EAST champion Villanova. From the first event the meet was back and forth between the two teams. Villanova started the meet strong placing first in the first three events, but UConn responded in a strong way with veterans Maggie Donlevy and Kayla Mendonca placing first and second in the 100-yard backstroke. The two teams continued trading blows, until eventually the Wildcats pulled away for the 172-128 victory.
“Today was a good test for our team,” said head coach Chris Maiello. “As the team works towards championships, we will continue to get better. Today we just came up short, but there is a lot to learn from this meet. Some bright spots included Olivia Herbert in the 500 and the 200 Fly. Sydney Perkins continues to impress as a freshman, and Jessica Sheng was strong with two wins. Overall, it was good experience for our team in a difficult environment. We will learn from this and get better.”
The Huskies had a quick turnaround as they traveled directly from Villanova to Georgetown University. UConn bounced back in a big way against the Hoyas, placing first in 15 or 16 events and dominating to come away with the 186-109 victory. Unlike the meet on Thursday, the Huskies got out to a fast start and never looked back. The relay team of Kayla Mendonca, Sydney Perkins, Stella McCardie and Maggie Donlevy placed first in the 200-yard medley relay and that win was followed by Norah Rome and Zoey Griffin placing first and second in the 1000-yard freestyle. The Huskies continued to swim well and capped off an impressive day by setting two pool records. Maggie Donlevy set a record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.75 while Sydney Perkins set a pool record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.58.
“Today was a good day for us,” said head coach Chris Maiello. “We bounced back nicely and competed at a level we expect every meet. After an off-brand type of performance on Thursday, the team responded with our best competition of the season so far. The day was highlighted by two pool records. I’m Impressed with the team, their sprit, their fight and the drive to be better. Good things are coming for this group.”
