Huskies Earn Runner-Up in Big East Championship
Indianapolis, IN - On the final night of competition, the University of Connecticut Swimming and Diving Team narrowly fell to Villanova to claim the second spot in the Big East Championship. The two teams had separated themselves from the rest of the league early in the championship with success in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, sealing the victory for the Wildcats. Final scores for the two were 1482.5 for Villanova to UConn's 1461.5.
The Huskies found success several times throughout the afternoon and evening beginning with a third place finish for Norah Rome in the 1650-yard freestyle. The distance races began prior to the rest of the finals, setting the pace for what would be a competitive night. Rome's success would be followed up by bronze finishes for Maggie Donlevy (100y Free), Kayla Mendonca (200y Back), and Angela Gambardella (200y Breast). Freshman Bella Hoffman picked up a silver-place finish, setting a new School Record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:56.69.
UConn coaches received honors during the award ceremony as well with David McKown winning Women's Diving Coach of the Year and the Husky coaching staff winning Co-Coaching Staff of the Year.
Final Standings
- Villanova – 1482.5
- UConn – 1461.5
- Georgetown – 1163
- Xavier – 1086.5
- Seton Hall – 883.5
- Butler – 512
- Providence – 450
Players Mentioned
Players Mentioned
Latest Women's Swimming & Diving
- Huskies Break Records on Day Three of Big EastIndianapolis, IN - After falling closely behind Villanova on day two of competition, the University of Connecticut Swimming and Diving Team sought to reclaim the lead set on day one with events that align with the Huskies' strengths. The team did not disappoint. The excitement began during preliminaries when Maggie Donlevy set a new school record in the 100-yard backstroke. The record would not last for long; however, as Maggie would go on to improve upon her time, reaching 53.21 later in the evening finals. This would not be the only school record for which Maggie played a part in the evening as she and her counterparts Angela Gambardella, Ella Epes, and Claire Lippert set a new time for the 400 yard medley relay soon after. Both the backstroke and medley relay performances were wins. In addition, Kayla Mendonca took third in the 100-yard backstroke while Angela Gambardella took second in the 100-yard breaststroke.
- Huskies Fall to Second After Day Two at Big EastIndianapolis, IN - The University of Connecticut Swimming and Diving Team competed in three events Thursday - the 500-yard freestyle, 50-yard freestyle, and 200 IM. The Huskies took sixth and seventh in the distance event, fourth in the IM, and placed third in the 50-yard freestyle under Maggie Donlevy. The team's lead from the first day of competition would be overtaken by Villanova after strong performances from the Wildcats in the IM and 500-yard freestyle. The Huskies narrowly trail 486.5 to 503 after day two.
- Huskies Start Strong at Big EastIndianapolis, IN - The University of Connecticut Swimming and Diving Team started the Big East Championship with strength on Wednesday, winning the 1mtr dive. Junior Julia Pioso (307.75) took the gold for the Huskies while Olivia Denery (289.05) took bronze. The performance helped catapult the Huskies to an early lead at 244 points with the next best team, Seton Hall, at 180. Of the evening's success, Coach Chris Maiello said, "Super pumped for our divers tonight. Julia really stepped up and impacted the meet. Congrats to her on the championship. Overall that diver group is going strong. Our relay's tonight was up and down. I know we will be better in those areas as the meet continues. We did see some encouraging signs and we are excited for the meet to get started."
- Huskies Prepare for Big EastIndianapolis, IN – The University of Connecticut Swimming and Diving Team will begin competition in the Big East Championship Wednesday at IUPUI Natatorium. The event brings seven teams from around the conference with a winner decided upon completion of Saturday's finals.
- Huskies Set Records in Spring Home OpenerStorrs, Conn. - The University of Connecticut Swimming and Diving Team raced to a dominant victory Friday beating the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils 245 - 55.
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