DUQUESNE VS ST. PETER’S
- November 8, 2025
- Pittsburgh, Pa.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Duquesne Athletics
Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne swimming and diving team returned to action with a split-squad weekend. The swimmers made their first appearance of the season at Towers Pool, defeating Saint Peter’s, 146-103, while celebrating Alumni Weekend. Meanwhile, the divers traveled to Clarion, Pa., to compete in the Clarion Fall Invite.
At Towers Pool, the Dukes tallied 23 top-three finishes, including 10 first-place honors. The action began on Saturday with the 400 medley relay, where Duquesne claimed the top two spots. The team of sophomores Caitlin Horning, Jess Burns, Rachel Howard, and freshman Lucy Backus touched the wall first with a time of 3:56.13. Close behind, the relay of freshman Norah Kotnik, sophomore Ashley Freel, freshman Emily Krye, and sophomore Kaitlyn Connors finished second at 3:59.80.
In the 1000-yard freestyle, the Dukes swept the top three spots, led by sophomore Sierra Snow, who touched the wall first with a time of 10:27.94. Freshmen Danica Wight and Norah Kotnik claimed silver and bronze, finishing at 11:07.38 and 11:19.09, respectively.
Duquesne continued its dominance in the 200-yard freestyle, once again taking all three podium positions. Backus earned first place with a time of 1:56.67, followed by junior Julia Sobun (2:00.15) in second and Aislinn Mooney (2:02.32) in third. In the 100-yard backstroke, junior Lexi Sundgren captured gold with a time of 59.70, while senior Katie Simpson finished second at 1:01.95. The momentum carried into the 100-yard breaststroke, where Burns claimed first place at 1:07.16, followed by sophomore Surrena Luna in second at 1:08.65.
Kyre led the Dukes in the 200-yard butterfly, touching the wall first with a time of 2:13.32, while Horning secured third at 2:14.38. In the 50-yard freestyle, Connors (24.58), senior Sydney Severini (25.39), and Simpson (25.85) swept the top three spots. The 100-yard freestyle saw Sundgren claim gold at 53.95, with Sobun taking silver at 55.67.
Duquesne continued its dominance in the 200-yard backstroke, as Freel (2:04.13), Kotnik (2:08.61), and Klotz (2:12.18) earned gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. The medal haul was capped by Severini, who claimed first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:24.16.
OFF THE BOARDS
In Clarion, all six Dukes divers competed, led by senior Ashley Felitsky, who earned a pair of medals in the one-meter and three-meter events. In the one-meter, Felitsky claimed gold with a final score of 259.20 over six dives. She was followed by sophomore Brianne Dempsey, who took silver at 245.60, and graduate student Lola Dragosavac, who captured bronze with a total of 241.15. Freshmen Grace Hedger (200.20) and Ellyn Huron (196.60), along with junior Erin Castagnero (192.00), finished fifth through seventh, respectively.
In the three-meter dive, Felitsky added a bronze medal to her performance with a score of 249.40. The Dukes also placed four through seven, as Dempsey scored 236.70 for fourth, followed by Castagnero (224.75), Dragosavac (224.25), and Huron (218.80).
QUOTABLE
“I was extremely happy with how the ladies supported each other today,” head coach David Sheets said. “We were able to swim events we don’t normally compete in and they still got up and raced with intent. We are in a good place but will keep getting better next week.”
UP NEXT
Duquesne is idle for a week before it returns to action on Nov. 20 – Nov. 22, when it travels to Morgantown, W.Va. to compete int eh WVU Invitational.
Courtesy: St. Peter’s Athletics
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Saint Peter’s women’s swimming team fell, 146–103, in its season opener against Duquesne at Towers Pool Saturday afternoon. The Peacocks had multiple podium finishes throughout the meet, highlighted by first-place finishes from Eloise Schirtzinger, Paige Austin-Burrows, Elettra Dalcerri, and the 200-yard freestyle relay squad of Dalcerri, Gwendolyn Mendez, Madison Petricevic, and Austin-Burrows.
HIGHLIGHTS
In her collegiate debut, freshman Chris Carolin Weiss earned the Peacocks’ first podium finish of the day, placing third in the 100-yard backstroke (1:02.99), just 1.04 seconds behind Duquesne senior Katie Simpson. Junior Lexi Sundgren finished first with a time of 59.70 seconds. Francesca Solano Vargas (1:03.49) and Michelle Kaminskas (1:11:71) also competed in the event for Saint Peter’s.
Gwendolyn Mendez secured a third-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 1:09.35. Teammate Maddie Kinney finished just behind in 1:14.03, with Schirtzinger rounding out the event for Saint Peter’s. Duquesne sophomore duo Jess Burns (1:07.16) and Surrena Luna (1:08.65) secured the top two spots.
It was a close finish with Austin-Burrows touching the wall less than a second behind (2:14.24) freshman Emily Kyre (2:13.32) in the 200-yard butterfly. Dukes sophomore Caitlin Horning rounded out the podium in 2:14.38. Brianna Surichaqui (2:38.37) and Weiss (2:23.18) also competed in the event for the Peacocks.
Austin-Burrows saw another podium finish in the 100-yard freestyle, securing third overall in 55.89, with junior Julia Sobun (55.67) and Sundgren (53.95) taking the top two spots. Petricevic and junior Niela Dawlett also competed in the event, touching the wall in 58.34 and 59.78.
In the 200-yard breaststroke, the Peacocks claimed two of the three top spots. Gwendolyn Mendez (2:29.16) stayed within reach of Sydney Severini but couldn’t quite catch the senior as she touched the wall in 2:24.16. Hailey Zeszotarski closed out the top three in 2:58.34, with Kaminskas rounding out the event in 3:09.30.
Schirtzinger secured the first top finish of the meet for Saint Peter’s in the 500-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 5:37.67. Teammate Audrey Hill Franco finished second with a time of 6:17.34.
The Peacocks kept the momentum rolling, sweeping the top three spots in the 100-yard butterfly in Dalcerri (1:05.49), Solano Vargas (1:05.90), and Surichaqui (1:13.33), and the 200-yard IM with Austin-Burrows (2:17.46), Dalcerri (2:29.66), and Kaminskas (2:35.41).
Saint Peter’s finished the meet competing in the 200-yard freestyle relay. SPU A–Dalcerri, Mendez, Petricevic, and Austin-Burrows–claimed first, finishing with a time of 1:44.31. SPU B–McKinney, Schirtzinger, Dawlett, and Weiss–took second in 1:46.97, and SPU C–Kaminskas, Solano Vargas, Surichaqui, and Franco–rounded out the top three, touching the wall in 1:58.68.
UP NEXT
The Saint Peter’s swimming and diving teams return home for their season opener on Tuesday, November 11, at the Eugene and Teresa Imperatore Swimming and Diving Center inside The Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Recreational Life Center. First splash is set for 5:00 p.m.
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
400-yard Medley Relay
SPU A- 3rd, 4:02.16
SPU B- 4th, 4:33.42
1,000-yard Freestyle
Eloise Schirtzinger– 4th, 11:20.0
Maddie McKinney– 5th, 11:25.94
Hailey Zeszotarski– 6th, 12:12.91
200-yard Freestyle
Gwendolyn Mendez– 4th, 2:04.22
Niela Dawlett– 5th, 2:14.23
Audrey Hill Franco– 6th, 2:10.16
50-yard Freestyle
Madison Petricevic– 4th 25.89
Elettra Dalcerri– 5th, 27.22
Leah Cunas– 6th 31.23
200-yard Backstroke
Francesca Solano Vargas– 4th, 2:15.46
Chris Carolin Weiss– 5th, 2:16.01
