Queens (NC) vs Wingate
- October 6, 2023
- Charlotte, N.C.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Queens Athletics
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queens men’s and women’s swimming & diving squads took home 21 of 28 events in their dual meet against old South Atlantic Conference foe Wingate on Friday, Oct. 6.
The Wingate men’s and women’s teams opened their season in the Queen City after a standout showing last year — as the teams finished in the top eight of all Division II. This was the eleventh meeting between the two schools, with the Queens women’s team remaining undefeated (11-0) and the men encompassing a 9-2 overall record against the Bulldogs.
Starting off the meet with the women’s 200-yard medley relay, Queens took home the gold as the team of Bianca Wettel. Annika Huber, Maddie Foster, and Ryley Heck finished with a final time of 1:43.45. In the men’s event, the men also took first place with a final time of 1:30.35 by the performances of Andreas Marz, Balazs Berecz, Conner Wang, and Matej Dusa.
Wrapping up another win for the Royals was in the women’s 1000-yard free, where veteran Sophia Lange finished with a time of 10:35.43 putting her in the first-place position. The senior would later on pick up another win in the 500-yard freestyle event with a time of 5:05.83. In the women’s 200-yard free, rookie Foster picked up a victory with a career-high time of 1:52.41, while Dusa swiped another win in the men’s 200-yard free with a time of 1:41.54.
Maren Patterson picked up her first individual win of the season with a time of 58:02 in the women’s 100-yard backstroke. On the men’s side in the same event, Caden Fritz also nabbed a victory with a time of 50.42.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Noah Beladi finished with a time of 56.56 to swipe another win over the ‘Dogs, while Abigail Zboran and Frantisek Jablcnik each took wins in the 200-yard butterfly events with times of 2:04.96 and 1:51.82, respectively.
In the 50-yard freestyle events, veteran swimmers Danielle Melilli (23.81) and Dusa (19.93) also took home first-place swims.
After the break, the Royals rookies found their stride once again as Foster and Haley Ross each tabbed individual wins. Foster added to her victorious day with another triumph in the 100-yard freestyle event with a time of 51.55 while Ross picked up her first season win with a 2:04.61 time in the 200-yard backstroke.
Additionally, sophomore Daniel Meszaros tried his hand at the 100-yard freestyle event against the Bulldogs and came out with a time of 44.96, good for a first-place finish. In the 200-yard backstroke for the men, Yannick Plasil and Fritz finished with identical scores of 1:52.30 to take the tie at first place, while Huber (2:21.25) and Noah Beladi (2:06.53) each found themselves ahead of the pool with wins at the 200-yard breaststroke events.
Finishing off the meet, Foster picked up her third individual win of the evening with a career-high time of 55.62 in the 100-yard butterfly event. Wang finished with a 50.49 first-place showing in the same event, earning the last victory for Queens.
In a quick turnaround, the Royals head to Atlanta, Ga. for a dual meet against Emory tomorrow, Oct. 7 for an 11:00 AM start.
Courtesy: Wingate Athletics
Charlotte, N.C.—-In the annual early-season clash of NCAA swimming titans, Queens University of Charlotte earned a 168-88 dual meet triumph over Wingate University at the Levine Center Friday evening. The contest opened the 2023-24 campaign for the defending South Atlantic Conference champion Bulldogs.
Sophomore Natalia Dwojak contributed to three victories, two individual and one relay. Individually, Dwojak won the 100 Breaststroke (1:04.70) by 0.03 seconds. She won the 200 Individual Medley (2:07.34) and swam the third leg on Wingate’s triumphant 200 Freestyle Relay quartet (1:37.24).
In the 200 Free Relay, Dwojak was joined (in order) by junior team captain Lucie Andrews, sophomore Nina Azirovic and senior Amanda Wenhold. Earlier, Andrews and Wenhold paired with freshman Vera Karlsson and senior team captain Hana Kubalova to help the Bulldogs start the meet with a second-place finish in the 200 Medley Relay (1:47.32).
What They Are Saying
Wingate senior Hailey Freed
“It feels great to be back in the water with my teammates and have the opportunity to compete one last season. Today we had our first meet against our rivals Queens. I was so excited to see everyone race and cheer for each other. I am slowly getting back into the water and it is a great feeling to have my team behind my back, pushing me in and out of the water.”
“I have high hopes for our team to have a great season and to win the conference again. Competing or not, I want to be there for the team and support them either in the pool or on the sidelines. I am beyond thankful to have the privilege to be on such a great team and work with them again this last season as I close out my final year as a Bulldog.”
Wingate senior Amanda Wenhold
“I’m really excited for this upcoming season. It’s been really fun racing, especially with all of the newcomers on the team. I can’t wait to see what this season will bring for the team. I am looking forward to putting in the hard work and swimming fast this year.”
Next on the agenda
– Wingate will travel to UNC Pembroke for a dual meet on Saturday, October 21
– The Bulldog men will face Chowan University at UNCP the same day
Charlotte, N.C.—-In the annual early-season clash of NCAA swimming titans, Queens University of Charlotte defeated Wingate University 157-100 at the Levine Center Friday evening. The contest opened the 2023-24 campaign for the defending South Atlantic Conference champion Wingate Bulldogs.
Junior Miguel Marcos won two individual events for the visitors. The 2023 SAC Swimmer of the Meet, Marcos touched first in the 1000 Freestyle (9:33.98) and the 500 Freestyle (4:36.55). Sophomore Kacper Korona won the 200 Individual Medley with his triumphant time of 1:54.69, leading a 1-2-3-4 finish for the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold-clad Bulldogs.
Wingate concluded the meet with a victory in the 200 Freestyle Relay with a time of 1:25.25. Freshmen Anton Witzell and Mike Topchanalis swam the first and anchor legs, respectively. Junior Jonathan Douib swam the second leg, while sophomore Ney Chagas Filho was on duty for the third leg.
Freshman Damir Ipkaev had a solid debut, collecting two individual silver medals. In the 200 Freestyle, Ipkaev finished second by 0.15 seconds with his time of 1:41.69. In the 500 Freestyle, only teammate Marcos swam faster, as Ipkaev posted a second-place time of 4:36.90. All total, Wingate collected five individual silver medals Friday evening.
What They Are Saying
Wingate senior Connor Wright
“Being back in the water racing against Queens felt great. They’re always a challenge to race, but that makes it more fun. The team energy is always great to see and it makes me very excited for the rest of the season. During my senior year, I’m really looking forward to trying to swim some personal-best times and finish my career strong. I also want to make sure the team culture remains strong in my last year…it would be great to make sure I help leave the team in a better place than when I came here.”
