Pitt swim and dive competes on national stage this week

A member of Pitt's swimming and diving team goes up for air while swimming during a meet against Army in Trees Hall on Sept 22, 2023.

Pitt women’s swim and dive team traveled to Athens, Georgia, this weekend to compete in the NCAA women’s swim and dive championships.

Four Panthers were present at the championships, with successful finishes to wrap up the season.

Senior Sophie Yendell competed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the 50 free, 100 fly and 100 free, respectively. Yendell placed 20th in the 50 freestyle and 17th in the 100 fly. With this finish, Yendell became the highest-finishing Panther at the women’s championships since 2017. Yendell, a nine-time school record holder, now holds two out of three of the top finishes for the university in the last seven years.

Pitt’s 2023 newcomer of the year, sophomore Claire Jansen, also continued her star-studded swim career as a Panther at the 2024 championships. Competing in the same events for the second year in a row, the 100 back and 200 back, Jansen boasted impressive finishes. In the 100 back, Jansen placed 38th with a time of 52.67 and crossed the finish line at 1:54.55 in the 200 back race. This time succeeded her placement at last year’s meet.

On Saturday, the divers took the platform and did not disappoint. First-year Mariana Osorio Mendoza placed 30th and junior Jess Vega finished closely behind at 35th as the two wrapped up their 2023-2024 season.

On the men’s side, five Panthers will compete at the 2024 NCAA swim and dive championships this weekend.

As a first-year, Stepan Goncharov saw success while competing at the 2023 championships and continued his dominance in the sport with another berth as a current sophomore. Goncharov placed fourth in the 100 back at the ACC Championships to secure his spot in Indianapolis with a time of 45.44, shattering the previous school record.

The other swimmer traveling to Indy next week is senior Max Matteazzi. Matteazzi racked up hardware at the ACC championships with a silver medal in the 400 individual medley after finishing in 3:42.38. Next week, Matteazzi will represent Pitt in the 400 individual medley, 200 individual medley and 200 breast.

Three divers will head to the championships as well. Three-time NCAA Championship qualifier Dylan Reed, junior Cameron Cash and sophomore Daley Fraser will all compete next week for the blue and gold.

The meet will air all weekend on ESPN.

sportsdesk