PITTSBURGH – The Pitt men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will travel to Lewisburg, Pa., to take on the Bucknell Bisons on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Kinney Natatorium. The dual meet is set to begin atNoon.
The Panthers enter the competition following a split contest with ACC opponent Georgia Tech. The women’s team won 191-109 while the men’s team fell 160-135.
Pitt’s men’s and women’s squads swept the Bisons in their 2013 and ’14 matchups.
Last season the Panthers hosted Bucknell at Trees Pool and tallied wins for both the men’s (185.5-109.5) and women’s (195-100) teams. Top performers from last year’s meet will make another appearance this weekend.
For the men last season, senior David Sweeney had four top 10 finishes, including two first place finishes in the 200 and 100 freestyle. Fellow senior Mack Rice also had a stand-out performance, placing first in the 200 medley relay and 100 backstroke, while placing second and fourth in the 100 butterfly and 200 IM, respectively.
The women were led by Kinga Cichowska against Bucknell last year as she recorded four top five finishes. Alongside her was diver Meme Sharp who claimed wins in both the 1M and 3M diving events.
In Pitt’s most recent action against Georgia Tech, junior diver Dom Giordano had a dominant day for the Panthers as he placed first in both the 1M (368.55) and 3M (439.73) competitions. His performance in the 3M broke both the program and Trees Pool record, which had been standing for more than 17 years. His performance earned him ACC Male Diver of the Week honors for the second time this season.
Pacing the men’s swimmers on Saturday was senior David Sweeney who once again took first in the 200 free. Freshman Brian Lovasik finished only one second behind the upperclassman in that event. Sweeney also placed second in the 50 free. Senior Mack Rice won the 200 IM and finished second in the 100 back.
On the women’s side, sophomore Amanda Richey and senior Kaleigh Ritter continued to turn in strong distance swims against the Yellow Jackets. Richey and Ritter again finished first and second, respectively, in the 1000 free, as Ritter went on to claim the 500 as well – followed closely by freshman Meghan Joram and senior Bethany DeWitt. Richey demonstrated her versatility by also winning the 200 back, while seniorDanyel Johnson rounded out the women’s freestylers with a first place finish in the 50. Junior Kinga Cichowska came in first in the 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke and 200 IM.
Sophomore Meme Sharp swept the 1M and 3M diving competitions in her first action of the year.
Swimming news courtesy of Pitt Swimming & Diving.
