UConn Men
Connecticut senior Keith Piper and sophomore Mike Lennon each won two races, as the UConn men’s swimming and diving team improved to 2-0 on the season, defeating Villanova 228-66 Saturday at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium.
Piper, who was named a captain by Connecticut head coach Bob Goldberg before the season, had an excellent swim in the 200-yard freestyle, as he finished first with a time of 1:43.41. In the 200-yard backstroke, UConn swimmers took the top two spots, with freshman Jerry Burton finishing second with a time of 1:57.82, while Piper won the event, swimming it in 1:53.48.
In the team relays, Piper was just as good. He swam the first leg in 23.84 for the UConn 200-yard medley relay team, which won, and he later helped Connecticut earn third place honors in the 400-yard freestyle relay by swimming his leg in 46.56.
Lennon’s first win of the day came in the 200-yard butterfly, when he completed the event with a time of 1:56.81. Connecticut senior Ben Yacano finished second, swimming it in 1:58.31. In the 500-yard freestyle, Lennon posted another solid time and captured his second victory of the day, as he swam the event in 4:37.90.
“The strength of our men’s team showed today,” Goldberg said. “We were able to swim our men’s swim team in several secondary events, which will be very beneficial as the year moves on.”
On the diving side, UConn senior Anthony Cortright swept both events, winning the 1-meter with a score of 279.52 and the 3-meter with a score of 328.50.
Freshman Spencer Beaulieu also had a good day on the boards, as he earned second place honors in both events. He totaled 216.97 points in the 1-meter, while in the 3-meter he scored a 230.55.
The Huskies will look to extend their winning streak next Saturday when they return to the pool to face the University of Pennsylvania. The meet is at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium, and is set to start at 1 p.m.
UConn Women
Connecticut sophomore Laura Hyland won a pair of races, as the UConn women’ s swimming and diving team moved to 2-0 on the year, edging Villanova 159-140 Saturday afternoon at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium.
Hyland swam well all day Saturday, starting in the 100-yard breaststroke, which she won with a time of 1:08.41. UConn freshman Tara O’Prey finished just behind Hyland, posting a time of 1:08.68 in the event.
Hyland’s second victory came in the 200-yard breaststroke, as the Southport, England native recorded a time of2:24.30, edging out Connecticut UConn sophomore Laura Ruttan, who finished the race in 2:25.55.
Connecticut opened the meet with a crucial win in the 200-yard medley relay, as freshman Christine Pedersen, Hyland, freshman Sophie Nothnagle and junior Chinyere Pigot powered UConn to first place, swimming the event in1:48.29 to just beat a Villanova team that finished with a time of 1:49.43.
Two other Huskies were victorious Saturday, as senior captain Kati Kyle won the 100-yard backstroke in 59.51, while Pedersen won the 200-yard backstroke for the second week in a row, posting a time of 2:06.06.
“Our women had a tough battle with a very good Villanova team,” Connecticut head coach Bob Goldberg said. “They have beaten us for the last several years, and it was nice to get back on the winning side. This was truly a team win for the girls, as second, third and fourth places made the difference in the meet.”
In the diving portion of the meet, Connecticut sophomore Taryn Urbanus was excellent for the second straight week, earning first place in both events. She scored 291.90 points in the 1-meter, and totaled 286.35 points in the 3-meter.
Freshman Michelle Kalupski and Alexandra Butera also scored well on the boards Saturday, as Kalupski was second in the 1-meter event with 269.47 points, while Butera finished second in the 3-meter with a score of 285.08.
UConn returns to the pool next Saturday when it hosts the University of Pennsylvania at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium.
This release was provided to SwimSwam courtesy of UConn Swimming and Diving.
