The University of Connecticut Huskies rose to the top of the combined team scores for the second year in a row at yesterday’s annual Copa Coqui Invitational in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The meet serves as a chance for American swimmers to gauge where they are after their brutal week (or so) pushing their physical limits in paradise. It also allows the swimmers the rare chance to swim long course in the middle of their college season.
2016 Copa Coqui Invite Full Results
A pair of Minnesotan teams swept the women’s 200 medley relay; St. Cloud’s Emily Tiedemann, Brooke Calvin, Andrea Bryson, and Kelsey Leeson won the event in 2:08.11, followed by Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Erin Sullivan, Jackie Woods, Annika Bordak, and Ashley Higgins in 2:10.70.
The men’s medley came down to the final strokes, but UConn took the win. Jeff Magin, Mark Hunter, Ryan Walsh, and James Donlevy finished in 1:50.48, just ahead of St. Cloud’s Reed Allex, Justin Winnett, Robert Leigh, and Triston Ferguson, who hit in 1:50.80.
The UConn women grabbed major points in the 100 free, where Deanna Parsons finished first in 1:01.68 and Margot Manning finished third in 1:02.89. Illinois State’s Savannah Rubocki edged in between them for second in 1:02.68.
Venezuelan native Andres Doria of Bayamon Central University in Puerto Rico absolutely dominated the men’s 100 free, coming in over four seconds ahead of the field, finishing in 51.98.
The women’s 100 fly was a battle between St. Cloud’s Bryson and Illinois State’s Kristin Verkler. Verkler came out victorious, finishing in 1:08.27, and Bryson ended up second in 1:08.65. Yeziel Morales of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican short course record-holder in four individual events, grabbed the win on the men’s side in 57.37, over a second ahead of second place Doria (58.62).
Both the men’s and women’s 100 breaststroke had first and second place swept by the same team. UConn freshman Julie Hu took the win in 1:17.48, followed by her teammate Laura Hyland, while St. Cloud’s Winnett destroyed the competition on the men’s side, followed by his teammate Dylan Schanz. Winnett finished in 1:06.00, and Schanz clocked 1:09.49.
Illinois State’s Rachel Root finished the 100 back way ahead of the field in 1:06.55, followed by UConn’s Christine Pedersen (1:08.13) and St. Cloud’s Emily Tiedemann (1:10.20). Morales, the only swimmer to crack one minute, grabbed another win on the men’s side in 59.32, followed by UConn’s Jeff Magin (1:00.41) and Magin’s teammate Matthew Dagenais (1:04.03).
Illinois State took the win in the women’s 200 free relay, when Sarah Thomas, Laura Paskoff, Rachel Holm, and Courtney Taylor teamed up to finish in 1:52.69, followed by UConn’s Dani Bordes, Jordan Drake, Maddie Hoopes, and Parsons (1:55.45).
The UConn men took their second relay win of the day in the men’s 200 medley. Donlevy, Daniel Krentsa, Luke Martin, and Magin clocked a 1:38.70 to edge out St. Cloud’s Ferguson, Jordan Kinney, Winnett, and Brian Burke, who finished in 1:39.36.
In the team standings, the University of Connecticut took the win with 88 points, followed by St. Cloud State’s 53, Illinois State’s 37, Interamericana’s 53, and Bayamon’s 13.
