Penn vs Villanova (Women)
- November 8, 2023
- Villanova, Pa.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Penn Athletics
VILLANOVA, Pa. – The University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming and diving team tallied 10 victories in a 171.5-120.5 victory over Villanova Wednesday evening at the Villanova Swim Complex.
Senior Anna Kalandadze and freshman diver Sophie Slayden each picked up a pair of first-place finishes as the Quakers improve to 2-1 on the year.
Quaker Notemeal
*Kalandadze maintained control of the first individual event of the night with a time of 10:11.33 in the 1,000-yard freestyle, pacing Penn’s 1-2-3 sweep. Sydney Bergstrom came in second at 10:18.65, while Amelia Girotto placed third (10:22.77). Kalandadze also won the 500 free with a dominant mark of 4:57.17, beating out teammate Maggie Straley (5:03.67).
*On the boards, Slayden swept both diving events with a victory in the one-meter dive (264.82) while Sadie Howard came in second with a score of 260.70. Slayden also took first in the three meter, scoring a 287.78 while Howard had a 261.90.
*The Quakers won the 200-yard medley relay as Kate Levensten, Keara McGowan, Vanessa Chong and Margot Kaczorowski timed in with a 1:44.64 to place first. Coming in third position was the team of Charlotte Holliday, Izzy Pytel, Sophie Henriksen and Abby Wickersham (1:48.20).
*Katya Eruslanova continued to impress with her win in the 200 free (1:52.66), while Anna Moehn came in third (1:53.60).
*Pytel won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05.98, while Meredith Holcomb clocked in at second (1:06.10).
*Chong took first place in the 200-yard butterfly (2:02.09), beating out Joy Jiang in third place (2:03.62).
*Wickersham claimed another victory in the 50 free with a quick time of 24.07, with McGowan placing second at 24.26.
*Penn’s final victory of the night came in the 200 breast with Holcomb (2:20.13), Pytel placing third (2:25.35).
*Levensten narrowly fell in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.37, while Villanova’s Audrey Pastorek took first (56.28). Holliday took third with a time of 57.19.
*The Quakers went 2-3-4 in the 200 back with Eruslanova in second (2:03.26), Levensten in third (2:04.11) and Holliday in fourth (2:05.85).
Up Next
Continuing the Ivy League slate, Penn returns to Sheerr Pool on Saturday to take on Brown at noon.
Courtesy: Villanova Athletics
VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova Women’s Swimming and Diving fell to Penn, 171.5-120.5, in it’s second home meet of the season Wednesday.
Led by senior Audrey Pastorek and a contingent of young ‘Cats, the Villanova women fell to Penn, 171.5-120.5, ending the undefeated streak to become 3-1 thus far this season.
Pastorek recorded two event wins and two runner-up finish to score a total of 27 points against a well-rounded Penn team. The Savannah, Ga. native took the top spot in the 100 and 200 backstroke in 56.28 and 2:02.16. Leading the way for the Wildcats in the 200 IM, Pastorek finished second in 2:08.61 followed by freshman Anna Farley in second at 2:09.30.
Freshmen Alyssa McHale and Michelle Kasulka recorded a pair of top-three finishes each in their events. McHale bested the field in the 100 butterfly (57.20) and finished third in the 100 freestyle (52.91). While from the platform, Kasulka finished third in the 1 meter (248.25) and 3 meter (244.87) diving events.
In just her second season as a Wildcat, sophomore Arabella Lee had a solid outing in her home pool recording two top-five finishes. Led by Pastorek, Lee finished fourth in the 100 backstroke clocking in at 58.26. The Marlboro, N.J. native also finished fifth in the 100 butterfly (58.10) just behind teammates Katie White (57.51) and Alyssa McHale (57.20) in third and fourth, respectfully.
Other notable performances came by way of sophomore Mary Kate Farrell and freshman Katheryn Montefusco. Farrell swam a strong race to finish runner-up in the 200 freestyle touching the wall at 1:53.40. In the 200 breaststroke, the Huntington, N.Y. native in Montefusco finished second in a time of 2:22.86.
In the relay events, the Wildcats tallied 19 points between the two races. The Villanova A team of graduate student Lauryn Johnson, seniors Molly Benson and Lexi Elkovitch, and McHale joined forces to finish ahead of the Quakers in the 400 freestyle relay clocking in a 3:33.67. The Villanova B team of senior Cara Stapleton, sophomores Mary Kate Farrell and Katie White, and freshman Carlota Colomer took second at 3:37.42. While in the 200 Medley relay, the Villanova A team of graduate student Maggie Kleinsmith, junior Lainey Quinones, McHale, and Pastorek finished second in 1:44.91.
The Villanova women will take a break before returning to action when both the men and women travel to Morgantown, WV to compete in the WVU Invitational November 16-18.
