South Orange, NJ - The University of Connecticut Swimming and Diving Team claimed their first win of 2024 Saturday, beating the Seton Hall Pirates 167-132.
The meet was a good test for the Huskies, facing off after their holiday break on the road against a well-matched conference opponent in Seton Hall. The teams sparred for most of the afternoon, exchanging figurative blows race after race. The Huskies took an early lead, winning the 200y Medley and 1000y Free with a dominant performance by Niamh Hofland. The Pirates would strike back in the next race winning the top two spots in the 200y Free. The Huskies brought momentum back in the fifth event, taking the top three spots in the 100y Back, led by captain Kayla Mendonca. The Pirates bounced back in the sixth event, narrowly besting the Huskies in the 100y Breast by less than a tenth of a second. A similar pattern continued as each team showed their strengths, due in part to several weeks of both training and rest.
On the diving side, Seton Hall's Silvia Alessio took the top spot in both the 1 mtr and 3 mtr events, closely followed by Huskies, taking the next five places in each. As a team effort, the Huskies showed their depth with contributions from newcomers and veterans alike.
Later in the meet, Niamh took another distance win, this time in the 500y Free. More Huskies would follow suit in the next race, taking the top three spots in the 100y Fly led by Ella Epes and the 200y IM. The Pirates would not be denied one final victory in the 400y Free Relay, edging out the Huskies by about three seconds. The late rally was not enough; however, and the Huskies took home a win marked by resilience and well-rounded effort. Of the day's performance, Coach Chris Maiello said, "Today was a good win for the team against a much improved opponent. At times the results were not pretty - but overall the team got the job done. It was great to start the meet with a relay win and the win in the 1k by Niamh. She had a great night and was certainly one of our leaders tonight. The team showed strong grit this afternoon after two weeks of hard winter training on campus. Credit to them for putting their aching tired bodies to the test tonight."
With Saturday's win, the Huskies improve to 6-2 overall.
Up Next - The Huskies travel to Durham, NH to take on UNH next Saturday.
Players Mentioned
- Senior
- Fly, Free (Sprint)
- Sophomore
Players Mentioned
- Senior
- Sophomore
- Fly, Free (Sprint)
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