GENEVA, Ohio – The UConn swimming and diving team continued their success from the previous days on Friday at the Big East Championship meet. Several Huskies took home conference championships and set new school and personal records.

In the men's 1M diving finals, junior Justin Corres placed second with a score of 541.35, grabbing 17 points for the men's team.

"It was a special night. Our team just believes right now, and it is amazing. They believe in themselves and their teammates, they believe in the work they put in and they are out there having fun," said head coach Chris Maiello.

"We set a school record with Niamh [Hofland] in the 400 IM, school record and personal best, and we proceeded to win multiple events after that. They're in the groove and it's so fun to watch and be a part of."

On the women's side, freshman Niamh Hofland continued to impress on day three of the championship event, setting a new school record in the women's 400 individual medley finals. Hofland's record time of 4:15.53 earned her a second-place finish in the event as well. Junior Molly Franklin placed fifth in the event, finishing at 4:28.21.

In the women's 100 fly finals, Junior Linnea Anderson finished first in the championship final event with a time of 54.29. Sophomore Charlotte Proceller finished second in the event with a time of 54.94. Junior Grace Ali finished fourth, coming in at a time of 55.60.

Freshman Melissa Lowry finished fourth in the women's 200 free finals and recorded time of 1:50.36. Sophomore Mia Galat finished eighth in the event with a time of 1:52.82.  

"It's all about momentum and the team believing in themselves and in each other. The atmosphere they've created for themselves is just so special," added Maiello.

Junior Katelyn Walsh took home a first-place finish in the women's 100 breaststroke finals, coming in at a time of 1:01.74. Freshman Angela Gambardella finished third in the event with a time of 1:02.76, while senior Jennie Novak placed seventh, finishing at 1:04.76.

Freshman Kayla Mendonca claimed victory in the women's 100 backstroke finals, finishing with a time of 55.11, grabbing her first conference championship win of her collegiate career. Sophomore Caitlyn Spencer placed second in the event with a time of 55.58 and senior Georgia Apostolu finished sixth with a time of 56.10.

The women's 400 medley relay team of Kayla Mendonca, Katelyn Walsh, Linnea Anderson, and Melissa Lowry became conference champions as they finished first in the final event, coming in with a time of 3:41.53, setting a new school record.

After three days of competition, the women sit in second place with 543 points, only trailing Villanova with 584 points. The men rank fifth after three days with 67.5 points.

"It will be an exciting and nerve-wracking time tomorrow, but I think we are up for it. We have to take things one session at a time and put ourselves in a good position with the prelims. I'm just so pleased with how our team has come together. The way they are rallying is something special."

The final day of the Big East Championship meet is packed with action throughout the day. Both the men's and women's 1650-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly, 400-yard freestyle relay, and the women's 3M dive finals will all take place on Saturday.

Event Coverage

4/10 – Swimming Day Four Prelims – 10 a.m.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9NCeWjT1N4

4/10 – Swimming Day Four Finals – 5:20 p.m.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDGz7Q_cwE0

Live Results

Find live results for the Big East Championship week here: https://swimmeetresults.tech/BIG-EAST-2021/