Virginia Tech Men and Women Take Home Opener

by Robert Gibbs 0

October 21st, 2017 College, News

Virginia Tech VS. Liberty, Queens, VMI

  • Results
  • Hosted by Virginia Tech
  • Friday, October 20th
  • 25 Yards
  • Dual Meet Format

Team Scores:

MEN: Virginia Tech 221, VMI 41
MEN: Virginia Tech 164, Queens 95
MEN: Queens 188, VMI 70
WOMEN: Virginia Tech 222, VMI 32
WOMEN: Virginia Tech 194, Queens 68
WOMEN: Virginia Tech 182, Liberty 80
WOMEN: Liberty 144, Queens 117
WOMEN: Liberty 215, VMI 35
WOMEN: Queens 216, VMI 34

The Virginia Tech men and women continued their winnings ways with victories over Liberty (women), Queens, and VMI Friday afternoon in Blacksburg.  The Hokies, who already had beaten ACC rivals Duke and Florida State, continued to roll over non-ACC opponents, with the men defeating VMI 221-41 and Queens University 164-95, while the women beat VMI, 222-32, Queens, 194-68, and Liberty 182-80.

While Virginia Tech won most of the events, Queens proved to be their biggest challenger, highlighted Nick Arakelien sweeping the breaststroke events and also winning the 200 IM.  Notably, the Liberty women touched out Virginia Tech by 0.01 on the 200 free relay in a battle where both teams remained within a few tenths of each other the whole way.

Virginia Tech Release

CHRISTIANSBURG – The H2Okies opened the home slate with a sweep of the competition as the Virginia Tech men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams picked up wins. The No. 19 men defeated VMI 221.0-41.0 and Queens University 164.0-95.0. On the women’s side, the Hokies claimed wins over VMI, 222.0-32.0; Queens, 194.0-68.0; and Liberty, 182.0-80.0.

Tech remains undefeated on the season as the men improve to 4-0 and the women move to 5-0. Leading the way were Ian Ho with an NCAA B time in the men’s 50yd free (19.85) while Klaudia Nazieblo recorded a B time in the women’s 100yd fly (54.23).

The Hokies got off to a strong start in the meet as the women’s team claimed first and second place in the 200yd medley relay. Nazieblo, Joelle Vereb, Maggie Gruber and Adriana Grabski finished with a time of 1:40.88 while their teammates recorded a time of 1:42.52 off the swims of Emily Meilus, Kelly Henry, Kayla Purcell and Danielle Griggs.

Tech followed up with a one, three finish in the 1000yd freestyle with Grace Kowal taking first (10:12.50) while Jenna Beattie finished third (10:26.36). Reka Gyorgy led a Virginia Tech sweep of the 200yd free, finishing in first with a time of 1:50.15. Griggs finished second (1:51.82) and Eleanor Matheson was third (1:52.09).

Meilus and Chloe Hicks took first and third in the 100yd back with times of 55.18 and 56.18, respectively. In the 100yd breaststroke, Henry finished with a first place time of 1:03.85 while Baillie Cameron placed just behind with a 1:04.98. Leah Rogers scored in third in the 200yd fly with a time of 2:03.97.

The Hokies took two, three in the 50yd free as Gruber came in with a time of 23.71 and Grabski just behind at 23.75. Grabski rallied for the next event as she took first place in the 100yd free with a time of 51.26 while Vereb claimed third (51.68).

Meilus picked up her second win of the evening, finishing in 2:01.61 in the 200yd backstroke while Sydney Pesetti was third. Gyorgy followed with her second win of the evening, taking the 200yd breaststroke (2:18.98) just ahead of teammate Henry.

Matheson won the 500yd free with a time of 5:00.28 while Jessie Arnold was third (5:08.25). Nazieblo’s B time came in the next event as she finished first in the 100 fly with teammate Vereb coming in third (56.73). Jessica Beattie joined the top-three ranks, claiming second in the 200 IM.

The Hokies wrapped up the meet with second and third place finishes in the 200yd freestyle relay.

On the men’s side, Tech opened with second and third place finishes in the 200yd medley relay before recording back-to-back sweeps. Michael Craddock, Colin Murphy and Nate Palowicz took the top three spots in the 1000 free with times of 9:29.76, 9:38.06 and 9:43.64, respectively.

The Hokies also owned the 200yd free behind swims from Lane Stone (1:38.99), Harrison Pierce (1:41.15) and Hassler Carroll (1:41.17). Tech took second and third in the 100yd backstroke off of Sean Workman’s 50.72 and Jake Lamparella’s 50.83. Justin Edwards and Thomas Hallock gave the H2Okies second and third in the 100yd breaststroke, before Norbert Szabo broke the pattern with a top time in the 200yd fly (1:49.84). Simon Shi finished third in the event.

Hallock had a first place time of 46.03 while teammate Stone was third (46.26) in the 100yd free. Workman came back strong in the 200yd backstroke, winning it with a mark of 1:48.98 while Cooper Pitts came in third. Edwards finished second in the 200yd breaststroke (2:04.70) while Shi was third (2:07.74).

The 500yd free belonged to the Hokies with Carroll finishing in first 4:37.83 and Pawlowicz in second (4:38.82). Pierce was again in the top-three, this time with a second place finish (49.60) in the 100fly while Szabo came in just behind in third. Samuel Tornqvist and Craddock gave the Hokies second and third in the 200yd IM.

The Hokies wrapped up the meet on a high note, finishing first and second in the 200yd free relay. Hallock, Szabo, Pierce and Ho teamed up for a time of 1:20.78 while Shi, Carroll, Aaron Boyd and Collin Fiala had a time of 1:23.72.

Virginia Tech will return to the pool on Saturday, Nov. 4 in a noon meet at North Carolina.

Liberty Release

Liberty earned two victories on Friday night at the Virginia Tech Sprint Challenge, held at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.

The Lady Flames defeated the three-time defending NCAA Division II national champion Queens, 144-117, while downing VMI, 215-35. Liberty fell to the host Hokies, 182-80. Liberty moves to 3-2 on the season after tonight’s 2-1 showing. Virginia Tech won all three of its head-to-head matchups, improving to 5-0. Queens (4-2) went 1-2, while VMI falls to 0-5 with three defeats today.

Rachel Hoeve provided the big highlight on the evening for Liberty, winning the 50 free in 23.62 for the Lady Flames’ lone individual-event victory. It was Hoeve’s ninth straight victory in the 50 free in dual-meet action, dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season. Hannah Baker (23.99) and Colleen Donlin (24.15) followed in fifth and sixth in the event.

Liberty’s 200 freestyle relay posted a dramatic win to end the night, defeating Virginia Tech’s A team by .01 seconds. Baker held off a charging Danielle Griggs, as Liberty won in 1:33.79 compared to the Hokies’ 1:33.80. The winning Lady Flames were: Hoeve, Donlin, Brittany Weiss and Baker.

Weiss picked up a second-place finish in the 100 back, swimming 55.37, while being edged out by Virginia Tech’s Emily Meilus (55.18) for the win. Payton Keiner placed fourth in 56.44.

Alicia Finnigan took second in the 200 fly, clocking 2:03.71. Teammates Lindsey Cohee (2:04.77) and Ashley Mauzy(2:08.10) finished in fourth and sixth, respectively.

The 200 backstroke saw Keiner finish second with a time of 2:04.83, while Emily Manly placed fourth in 2:06.97.

Liberty placed third in the 200 medley relay, following a 1-2 performance by Virginia Tech. Liberty’s quartet of Keiner, Prudence Rooker, Weiss and Hoeve finished in 1:43.07. That times is seventh on Liberty’s all-time top 10 performers list.

Rooker (1:05.00) and Ricki Lee Hodges (1:05.25) went 3-4 in the 100 breaststroke.

In the 200 IM, Rooker claimed another third-place finish with a time of 2:09.30. Finnigan placed fourth in 2:09.40.

Manly’s sixth-place finish in 10:41.95 served as Liberty’s top showing in the 1000 freestyle.

Baker finished sixth in the 200 free, at 1:54.21.

Weiss turned in a 52.67 in the 100 free, good for sixth place overall.

Rooker (2:22.61) and Morgan Noonan (2:23.36) finished fifth and sixth in the 200 breaststroke.

Sall earned fifth place in the 500 free with a 5:10.19 clocking, while Elizabeth Magnusson finished sixth in 5:11.51.

Finnigan took fifth in the 100 fly, clocking 57.09.

Liberty will next compete in a tri-meet, next Friday at 5 p.m. at Gardner-Webb. That meet will see the Lady Flames square off against conference opponents Gardner-Webb and Georgia Southern.

Queens Release

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Queens University of Charlotte men’s swimming team tallied six wins on Friday evening in the Virginia Tech Sprint Challenge at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.

The Royals competed in the event as the lone NCAA Division II program, competing against NCAA Division I schools Virginia Tech University and Virginia Military Institute. The Hokies are ranked No. 19 in the most recent CSCAA Division I Coaches Poll, while Queens holds the top spot among all Division II institutions.

Queens began the event with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay race, as Paul Pijulet, Nicholas Arakelian, Marius Kusch and Ben Mayes teamed together to finish with a time of 1:28.99, a slim 0.17 ahead of Virginia Tech’s “A” relay team.

“We had a solid week of training that fed into some good racing,” said Queens Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Planning and Leadership Development/ Director of Swimming Operations Jeff Dugdale. “The athletes enjoyed swimming against some quality programs in Virginia Tech, Liberty and VMI.”

Pijulet collected two individual wins of his own, finishing first in the 100-yard back stroke with a time of 48.26 and first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 47.94. Both marks were good enough to qualify the senior for an NCAA B Standard.

Arakelien, the reigning Bluegrass Mountain Conference Male Swimmer of the Week, was a three-time winner in the meet beginning with a win in the 100-yard breaststroke. The senior also won the 200-yard breaststroke, defeating the next closest competitor by more than a three-second margin before claiming his third victory in the 200-yard I.M. with a time of 1:50.14.

Mayes registered two Top 3 finishes on the day, taking third in the 50-yard freestyle and second in the 100-yard freestyle, just seven hundredths of a second behind the top finisher.

Kusch was a runner-up in the 200-yard butterfly, while sophomore Dmytro Sydorchenko finished second overall in the 50-yard freestyle race. Freshman Baptiste Leger recorded Queens’ third runner-up finish of the evening in the 200-yard backstroke.

The Royals welcome No. 8 Wingate to the Levine Center next Saturday, Oct. 28, for a dual-meet beginning at 11 a.m.

VMI Release

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – John Kim finished fifth in the 100 back and Thomas Muldowney was fifth in the 200 free, leading the VMI swimming and diving teams at the Virginia Tech Sprint Challenge, contested Friday at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center.

Friday’s meet was scored as multiple duals, with the Keydet men (1-3) going 0-2, losing to Virginia Tech 221-41 and Queens University 188-70. The VMI women (0-5) lost to Liberty 215-35, to Tech 222-32 and to Queens 216-34.

Kim continued his strong start to the season with a fifth-place finish in the 100 back, touching the wall in 52.30. The fifth-year senior was also sixth in the 200 back at 1:56.39.

Muldowney finished fifth in the 200 free (1:50.67), one spot ahead of David Turbyfill (1:53.56). Turbyfill was also sixth in the 500 free at 5:05.26.

“We fought hard against some of the best programs in the country today,” said VMI head coach Andrew Bretscher. “I am proud of the team’s efforts and look forward to our next meet against Howard.”

VMI swimming and diving will return to action Nov. 4, taking on Howard in Washington, D.C.

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