Washington, D.C- The UConn women's swimming and diving finished their road trip 1-1, falling to Villanova Thursday afternoon, before bouncing back with a win over Georgetown University Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies opened their road trip against reigning BIG EAST champion Villanova. From the first event the meet was back and forth between the two teams. Villanova started the meet strong placing first in the first three events, but UConn responded in a strong way with veterans Maggie Donlevy and Kayla Mendonca placing first and second in the 100-yard backstroke. The two teams continued trading blows, until eventually the Wildcats pulled away for the 172-128 victory.
"Today was a good test for our team," said head coach Chris Maiello. "As the team works towards championships, we will continue to get better. Today we just came up short, but there is a lot to learn from this meet. Some bright spots included Olivia Herbert in the 500 and the 200 Fly. Sydney Perkins continues to impress as a freshman, and Jessica Sheng was strong with two wins. Overall, it was good experience for our team in a difficult environment. We will learn from this and get better."
The Huskies had a quick turnaround as they traveled directly from Villanova to Georgetown University. UConn bounced back in a big way against the Hoyas, placing first in 15 or 16 events and dominating to come away with the 186-109 victory. Unlike the meet on Thursday, the Huskies got out to a fast start and never looked back. The relay team of Kayla Mendonca, Sydney Perkins, Stella McCardie and Maggie Donlevy placed first in the 200-yard medley relay and that win was followed by Norah Rome and Zoey Griffin placing first and second in the 1000-yard freestyle. The Huskies continued to swim well and capped off an impressive day by setting two pool records. Maggie Donlevy set a record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.75 while Sydney Perkins set a pool record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.58.
"Today was a good day for us," said head coach Chris Maiello. "We bounced back nicely and competed at a level we expect every meet. After an off-brand type of performance on Thursday, the team responded with our best competition of the season so far. The day was highlighted by two pool records. I'm Impressed with the team, their sprit, their fight and the drive to be better. Good things are coming for this group."
Players Mentioned
Players Mentioned
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