Swimming and Diving: Men and women beat Cincinnati, fall to Louisville

The future looks bright for the Pitt women’s swimming and diving team. But this weekend the… The future looks bright for the Pitt women’s swimming and diving team. But this weekend the young Panthers decided to shine in the present, too.

Several freshmen stood out for the women’s team in the meets this weekend, as both the women’s and the men’s team traveled to take on Cincinnati and Louisville. For head coach Chuck Knoles, the performance of the new swimmers was one of the highlights of the weekend.

“It was fun to see young kids stepping up,” Knoles said. “Fresh and new swimmers had quite the time this weekend. The younger [athletes] surprised … and had breakout meets.”

Among those young swimmers was Julie Harrison, the Pitt Performer of the Meet against Cincinnati, who took home two first-place finishes, leading the Panthers to a 177.5-65.5 victory.

Harrison won the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4 minutes, 26.11 seconds, and the 500 free in 5:00.

“She had a phenomenal meet,” Knoles said. “She swam very, very well and it was a good weekend to swim well, with starting the Big East.”

Knoles said Harrison and fellow freshman Veronica Lee were neck and neck in the 400 IM, but Harrison touched the wall first to claim the victory. Senior Cookie McIntyre came in third to complete one of several Panther sweeps on the day.

In the 500 free, Kelsey Herbst and another freshman, Lauren Matevish, finished second and third, respectively. Senior Tamara Lelli won the 200 free with a time of 1:52.63, a season best, followed by Herbst and Yolandi Van Der Merwe.

Pitt also swept the 50 free. Meghann McGoldrick came in first with a time of 24.40, followed closely by Kristen McMullan and Yolandi Van Rooyen.

“Anytime you can go into a meet and sweep, it’s just an indication of depth and strength,” Knoles said. “It was very well-balanced and fun to watch.”

Matevish won the 1,000 free with a time of 10:12.49, 20 seconds faster than second place.

The women’s team also performed well in relays, winning both the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay. The 400 free relay team came close to setting a pool record, finishing in 3:30.91. The record is 3:30.36.

The 200 medley relay team finished with a time of 1:46.79, which is currently second in the Big East.

Morgan Speece took home the IM diving event with a score of 272.85 and also came in second on the 3M event.

The men’s team also picked up its first Big East victory, defeating the Bearcats 172-71.

Benjamin Solari was named the Pitt Performer of the Meet, winning the 400 IM with a time of 4:05.69 and the 200 breast in 2:08.09. Knoles said that the 400 IM, a race the Panthers don’t normally swim, was one of the most exciting events of the day.

Solari came from behind in the last four lengths to catch and pass in the last lap.

“It was super exciting,” Knoles said. “It got the crowd going on the Pitt bench.”

Andrzej Dubiel also performed well against Cincinnati. He won the 400 free with a time of 45.77, the second-fastest time in the Big East. He also took home first place as a part of the 400 free relay and the 50 freestyle.

Dubiel was the only swimmer to come in under 21 seconds in the 50 free. Teammates Alex Kubicek and Bobby Smith followed in second and third, respectively.

The 400 free relay team consisting of Dubiel, Kubicek, Jacob Van Roekel and Alexander Rodenkirk finished with a season-best 3:06.98. The Panthers also won the 200 medley relay.

Against Louisville, both the men’s and women’s teams performed well but were unable to bring home victories against the nationally ranked Cardinals. Louisville’s men are No. 16, and the women are No. 14.

The Pitt women fell 190-109 in their first loss of the season, while the men’s team was defeated 177-123.

Knoles was impressed with the teams’ ability to score more than 100 points against one of the best swimming and diving teams in the conference and the country.

“It says something that they could race them head to head,” Knoles said. “Other teams might have been intimidated, but they had the courage and fought well. Anytime you can score over 100 points against ranked teams, you can leave with your head held high.”

Several women recorded season-best times against the Cardinals, including Harrison, who took home first in the 1,000 free with the Big East’s best time, 10:10.51. She also touched the wall first in the 500 free with a time of 5:00.02.

Matevish took second in the 1,000 free with a season-best time of 10:11.00.

Senior Caitlin Trant, the top performer in the 100 fly in the Big East, won the event with a time of 56.75, .01 seconds faster than her previous season-best.

The 400 medley relay team started the meet off right for the Panthers, winning with a time of 3:52.49, a season-best. Knoles said winning the opening relay was a shock, since that’s one of Louisville’s strongest events, but the Cardinals’ A and B teams both jumpstarted and the Panthers cruised to victory with the fast time.

“Relays are exciting,” Knoles said. “It’s fun that we have such a balanced team, all the positions on the women’s side are contested for.”

The men’s team also found success in the 400 medley relay after a Louisville jumpstart led to a disqualification.

“The men’s team isn’t as deep, but they’re very well-balanced,” Knoles said. “They’re swimming relays very nicely. It’s an honor to be named to a relay team, to maybe be faster together than you are on your own.”

Dubiel anchored that relay team and also won two individual events, the 50 free and the 100 free. The top sprinter in the Big East,

Dubiel swam a season-best 20.32 in the 50 free and finished with a top-five Big East time of 46.25 in the 100 free.

Adam Maczewski set an NCAA provisional standard in the 100 back with a time of 48.85. His time is first in the league and he was the only swimmer to finish under 50 seconds.

Zane McLain won the IM event in diving with a score of 299.25 points, and Collin Forner took the 3M event, scoring 336.30.

Knoles said the Panthers will look to post good times in the next meet against Rutgers on Nov. 19, and then train hard through November until a home meet against West Virginia on Jan. 8.