Queens (NC) vs Wingate
- October 4, 2024
- Charlotte, N.C.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Queens Athletics
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queens University of Charlotte men’s and women’s swimming teams battled a familiar foe in Wingate inside the Levine Aquatic Center on Friday, October. 4.
Kicking off the meet, the Queens women’s team saw the 400-yard medley relay squad of Haley Ross, Libby Livesay, Abigail Zboran, and Sabina Kupcova finish second with a time of 3:46.55. The men’s team, however, clinched victory in their 400-yard medley relay, with Andreas Marz, Noah Beladi, Conner Wang, and Matej Dusa posting an impressive time of 3:16.46.
The men’s events featured several Royals finishing in the top spots. Daniel Meszaros excelled in the 200-yard freestyle, taking first with a time of 1:39.56, and repeated his success in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing in 44.96. Marz also shined, securing second place in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 49.85, while Eli Brinkman followed closely behind in third, finishing in 50.10. Additionally, Matheus Przewalla won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 55.51. Matej Dusa continued the momentum by winning the 50-yard freestyle in 20.10. Marz also topped the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:48.21, and Declan Gleason finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:01.14.
On the women’s side, the Royals were dominant, claiming 11 event wins. Notably, Haley Ross won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:01.32, and Annika Huber excelled in both the 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.32) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:19.81). Sabina Kupcova had a strong performance as well, winning the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:04.49, while veteran swimmer Ryley Heck took first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.38.
Other notable wins included Abigail Zboran in the 200-yard butterfly (2:03.62), Maren Patterson in the 100-yard backstroke (1:51.76), and Nova Andersson in the 400-yard IM (4:28.43). The women capped off the meet with a thrilling victory in the 800-yard freestyle relay, where Foster, Kupcova, Bianca Wettel, and Zboran recorded the fastest time in the event at the Levine Aquatic Center, finishing in 7:29.98.
Overall, the Queens women triumphed with a score of 154.5-107.5, while the men narrowly fell with a close score of 132-130.
QUOTE FROM ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH JON LAU
“Incredibly proud of our men’s and women’s teams,” Lau said. “We stepped up against tough competition under intense pressure. Our team identity was revealed this meet and I look forward to it carrying us through the year.”
UP NEXT
Next, the Royals get back into gear against Emory on Saturday, October. 5 for a 11:00 AM start.
Courtesy: Wingate Athletics
Charlotte, N.C.—-Wingate University women’s swimming senior team captain Lucie Andrews collected two gold and two silver medals, but the Bulldogs dropped a hard-fought 154.5-107.5 decision to Queens University of Charlotte in the Levine Center Friday afternoon. The visiting Bulldogs claimed two individual victories and one relay triumph.
Andrews started her Friday by swimming the anchor leg as Wingate touched first in the 400 Medley Relay (3:44.93). She was joined senior Marta Beesmans Barquero, junior Natalia Dwojak and sophomore Valentina Zapata Ceballos. Individually, Andrews won the 100 Freestyle, thanks to her triumphant time of 51.19.
Additionally, Andrews earned silver medals in the 200 Freestyle (1:52.12) and the meet-concluding 800 Freestyle Relay (7:34.72). Her 800 Free Relay mates included juniors Nina Azirovic and Nadia Kertynska and Beesmans Barquero. Freshman Livia Kingsland earned Wingate’s second individual victory, thanks to her win in the 1000 Freestyle (10:23.73).
Collectively, Wingate stock-piled seven individual silver medals. In addition to her 400 Medley Relay gold medal, Natalia Dwojak had two individual second-place showings in the 100 Breaststroke (1:02.64) and the 50 Freestyle (23.65). Zapata Ceballos earned a silver medal in the 100 Butterfly (56.31) to keep her 400 Medley Relay gold medal company.
What They Are Saying
Wingate head coach Kevin Hennessy
“Wow! What a great start to the season for our teams. There is much history between Wingate and Queens…many battles…and they have certainly gotten the better of us over the years. Going into their pool and getting the win for our men was a huge statement. Getting that win by finishing 1-2 in the last relay was electric.”
“I don’t want our women’s team to be overshadowed…they raced just as hard, but ultimately fell short. I couldn’t be prouder of our teams. We had many great swims and numerous individuals stepping up in big spots. The energy they brought was next level. They were always present and, in the moment, right from the beginning.”
“This was a great TEAM win. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to start our season. When we race together as a TEAM, that’s when special things happen.”
Wingate senior team captain Lucie Andrews
“Today’s meet left the team feeling great about the season ahead. The energy on the pool deck this year so far has been amazing and we were able to come together as a unit today to swim great times and score great points. We still have many meets ahead of us and we can’t wait to see what will come of our hard work during practice for the rest of the year on our journey to our conference and national championship meets! WU WHAT? WU SWIM!”
Charlotte, N.C.—-The Wingate University men’s swimming team and head coach Kevin Hennessy knew what they needed to do to defeat longtime archrival Queens University of Charlotte Friday afternoon in the Levine Center…finish 1-2 in the meet-concluding 800 Freestyle Relay.
The Bulldogs were up to the challenge, shaving almost 16 seconds from the pool record on the way to a 132-130 Instant Classic victory over the Royals. Wingate earned its first triumph over Queens since November 6, 2013, when the No. 2 Bulldogs defeated the No. 4 Royals 140-105 on a Wednesday afternoon at the Levine Center.
Taking a look at the 800 Freestyle Relay
The Wingate A team touched first with its time of 6:35.91. Freshman Vladimir Krstulovic led the way, followed by sophomore Damir Ipkaev, freshman Yassine Sebbata and sophomore Anton Witzell. Interestingly enough, current Bulldog veterans Miguel Marcos and Balint Kovacs shared the previous Levine Center pool record with former teammates Slava Ohnov and Marcel Snitko (6:51.12, October 7, 2022).
The Bulldog B team also outdistanced the previous Levine Center 800 Free Relay high-water mark, touching with a time of 6:44.09 to finish second. Kovacs swam the anchor leg, joined by freshmen teammates Tymofii Chemeryk and Fernando Dehaudt and senior Gabriel da Costa.
What They Are Saying
Wingate head coach Kevin Hennessy
“Wow! What a great start to the season for our teams. There is much history between Wingate and Queens…many battles…and they have certainly gotten the better of us over the years. Going into their pool and getting the win for our men was a huge statement. Getting that win by finishing 1-2 in the last relay was electric.”
“I don’t want our women’s team to be overshadowed…they raced just as hard, but ultimately fell short. I couldn’t be prouder of our teams. We had many great swims and numerous individuals stepping up in big spots. The energy they brought was next level. They were always present and, in the moment, right from the beginning.”
“This was a great TEAM win. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to start our season. When we race together as a TEAM, that’s when special things happen.”
Wingate sophomore student-athlete Giacomo Pietrini
“We had good team work and energy Friday. We had a good effort in the 800 Freestyle Relay, which permitted us to win. Personally, I had a good start to the season in my best event, the 200 Butterfly, and a good race in the 500 Freestyle, too. I scored points with both.”
