Swimming and diving wins openers

Pitt swimming and diving coach Chuck Knoles was anxious to see his team in action for the first… Pitt swimming and diving coach Chuck Knoles was anxious to see his team in action for the first time this year. The end result surely pleased him enough. The Panthers opened their season with two wins on Saturday against St. Bonaventure. The men won, 179-119, while the women emerged, 196-97. Knoles learned a lot about his squad in the season opener. ‘Going into the season, you think you know where you are, but you never really know until you put the pressure on and really race someone,’ said Knoles. ‘We posted some good times in the Blue and Gold [scrimmage], but you really don’t know anything until you go against another [team].’ Sophomore Andrzej Dubiel paced the men’s squad. He won both the 50-meter freestyle and the 100 freestyle, and later swam the lead leg of the first place 200 medley relay. Joining him were senior Jonathan Buchanan, junior Geoff Morgan and senior B.J. Conklyn, who posted a 1:35.38 time. Dubiel found plenty of success on the men’s side, posting a 21.47 time in the 50 freestyle. Knoles was very impressed with that race. ‘He tore it up in the 50 free. He really had it going today,’ said Knoles. ‘It was a very strong effort.’ Freshman Rousseau Kluever also won two races in his Pitt debut. Kluever won the 200 fly (1:53.59) and 500 freestyle (4:42.75). The freshman figures to make a big impact on Pitt’s season. Kluever’s potential contribution intrigues Knoles. ‘He’s got so much to learn technically, which is really exciting,’ said Knoles. ‘Once he learns a little more, his times will be much faster.’ To have someone walk in the door and be that impressive makes a real impact on the team.’ Also, sophomore Bobby Smith won both the 100 (52.42) and 200 (1:54.05) backstroke. Alex McLaren edged out Kluever in the 200 freestyle, with a time of 1:44.94. Kluever finished just barely in front of St. Bonaventure’s Chris Baker. Baker was caught in the final stages of the race after leading a majority of it. Buchanan won the 100 breastsroke (58.45), while Conklyn placed third in the same event. Pitt swept both diving events and looked very impressive on the day. Alex Volovetski won the 3M board, while teammates Collin Forner and Eric Becker finished second and third. Forner won the 1M diving event, Volovetski finished second, and sophomore Zane McLain took third. On the women’s side, junior Katie Cutrell won two distance events, the 500 and 1000 freestyle. Posting times of 5:01.76 and 10:10.19, she pleased Knoles. ‘In the distance freestyle she was really good,’ said Knoles. ‘We have been waiting for that for a while, and we knew it was in her. She had an all-around great performance today.’ Sophomore Kristen McMullan triumphed in three events herself. In the 50 freestyle, she eked a victory over freshman Yolandi Van Rooyen and later took both the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Sophomore Laura Barnes won the 100 and 200 breaststroke. In both events, Pitt swept the St. Bonaventure swimmers. She was the second leg of the winning 200 medley relay team. Joined by junior Ryann Kishbaugh, sophomore Caitlin Trant and sophomore Emily DeStefano, Pitt finished at 1:47.41. Kishbaugh later won the 100 back at 59.23 and Megan Bender won the 200 back (2:07.07), with Kishbaugh placing second. The women’s diving team also finished well on Saturday. Junior Margo Ekstrom won the 1M board with a score of 249.30. Sophomore Mallory Mullady and senior Sabrina Jennings finished second and third. Later, Alyssa Ferraro won the 3M event with Ekstrom and Jennings placing behind her. The Panthers’ next meet is in South Bend tonight against a strong Notre Dame team. Knoles is optimistic after the way Pitt performed against St. Bonaventure. ‘I think that we have put ourselves in a good position to expect great results,’ said Knoles.