Huskies Take Down Bryant in Season Opener

Sat, Mar 6, 2021

STORRS, Conn. – The UConn women's swimming and diving team defeated Bryant 172.5-114.5 on Saturday afternoon. The men's swimming and diving team had a strong showing but fell to the Bulldogs 172-81.

"It was great to finally get to race day! Our team has been through many challenges and today for them was about enjoying the moment and they did a great job of that. Overall, I thought our swims were strong for where we are at in our training phase. It was good to see our senior class have one more opportunity to race in the WZ and it was exciting to watch out freshman compete in their first dual meet," said Head Coach Chris Maiello.

"We were good in areas and need some work in others, I thought our technical execution was good, but I know we can do a little bit better when we are pacing. It was also great to see our men's athletes who have stayed with us through this year to race one final time in our home pool. I was emotional for me to know that the last men's race in our home pool was today. I am happy for our guys; they have shown great personal growth during this process. Look at where the big east is at, I think we are competitive in the league with our performances today. I am looking forward to continued work with the team as we evaluate, learn and get better."

Saturday's meet was the first meet of the season for UConn, with the two previously scheduled meets canceled earlier in the year. The Huskies had big performances from several swimmers, claiming victory in 16 events between the men and women's teams. All event winners from Saturday's meet can be found below:

Women

200-yard medley relay – Fr. Kayla Mendonca, Jr. Katelyn Walsh, So. Charlotte Proceller, Fr. Melissa Lowry. Time - 1:46.21
1000-yard freestyle – Sr. Ryan Dulaney. Time – 10:42.42
200-yard freestyle – Fr. Niamh Hofland. Time – 1:54.37
100-yard backstroke – Fr. Kayla Mendonca. Time – 57.56
100-yard breaststroke – Jr. Katelyn Walsh. Time – 1:04.67
200-yard butterfly – Jr. Ali Grace. Time – 2:05.79
100-yard freestyle – Fr. Melissa Lowry. Time – 52.85
200-yard backstroke – Fr. Kayla Mendonca. Time – 2:05.83
200-yard breaststroke – Katelyn Walsh. Time – 2:22.27
500-yard freestyle – Sr. Ryan Dulaney. Time – 5:16.28

Men

200-yard medley relay – Jr. Alex Chernysh, Sr. Rowan King, Sr. Will Mudlaff, Jr. Josh Bryant. Time – 1:33.44
100-yard breaststroke – Sr. Rowan King. Time – 58.07
100-yard butterfly – Sr. Will Mudlaff. Time – 51.73

The Huskies had plenty of success on the diving boards as well, claiming victory in the men and women's one-meter dive and men's three-meter dive.

"I could not be more impressed with what the divers did in the pool today. With only having the past 2 months of consistent practice, they showed up and gave it their absolute best," said Head Diving Coach Josh Arndt.

"It has been a year of a lot of lows, and we're walking away from this meet with a high that will carry us through the rest of the season. The energy, effort, and teamwork this squad brings to the pool each day is unmatched and it's the largest contributing factor to our success today. I can't wait to see what this group does moving forward."

Diving event winners can be found below:

Women's 3M Results

Sr. Alyssa Annenberg - 278.39
Fr. Ana Faoro – 254.03
Jr. Marina Wilkins – 250.27

Men's 1M Results

1. Sr. Torry Wagner – 255.97

2. Fr. Parker Smith – 236.47

3. Jr. Justin Corres – 235.57

Women's 1M Results

1. Fr. Ana Faoro – 255.15

2. Sr. Elizabeth Drab – 244.50

3. Jr. Marina Wilkins – 238.41

Men's 3M Results

1. Jr. Justin Corres – 303.52

2. Sr. Torry Wagner – 285.07

3. Fr.Malaki Tatum – 275.93

Up Next

The Huskies head to South Orange, New Jersey to take on Seton Hall on Saturday, March 20^th at 1:00pm. This will be the final tune-up for UConn before the Big East Championship meet.