Pitt swimming and diving team look promising

Swimming and diving season begins Friday for Pitt, with one team looking to stay on top, and… Swimming and diving season begins Friday for Pitt, with one team looking to stay on top, and the other looking to get there.

The men’s swimming and diving team, coming off its eighth straight Big East title and 19th overall, enters the year ranked No. 17 in the nation, and are the favorites to once again finish atop the Big East.

On the other hand, the women’s team — nine-time Big East champions — is looking to get back to the top of the conference after a fifth-place finish last season. To do that, the Panthers will need to overcome defending champion and No. 23-ranked Notre Dame, winners of the women’s title the past eight seasons.

Leading the way in the pool for the men’s team will be junior Darryl Washington in the freestyle and individual medley events. Junior Jason Miller will swim the butterfly and multiple other events, and freshman Warren Barnes, who captured the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke titles at last weekend’s Blue-Gold meet will also compete.

Returning on the board for the men will be junior Dennis Nemtsanov, Big East champion on the one-meter board and third-place finisher on the three-meter board. Nemtsanov and sophomore Jeff Leath (200-meter backstroke) are Pitt’s two returning individual champs from last year’s Big East meet.

On the women’s side, the Panthers put a very young team in the pool, with 12 freshmen and seven sophomores on the 30-person roster. Only junior Kelly Redcay remains from the 200-meter medley relay team that won Pitt’s only event title at last year’s Big East meet. Redcay will get new teammates to continue racing relays, as well as compete in individual freestyle events this season.

Three sophomores with multiple event wins at the Blue-Gold meet will also look to lead Pitt this season — Lindsey Tibero (100 and 200-metter breaststroke), Andrea Shoust (100 and 200-meter backstroke), and Kathy Siuda (200 and 500-meter free, 200 individual medley).

Junior Colleen Kristobak returns as the eldest diver on the women’s side, and as the Blue-Gold winner on the one-meter board. She looks to improve on her third and fourth-place finishes (one-meter and three-meter, respectively) in last year’s Big East meet.

One thing Pitt will not be lacking during the season is competition, as a number of ranked opponents will take on the Panthers this season. The highlight of the schedule is a Dec. 4 visit to Trees Pool by the University of Virginia, ranked No. 12 on the men’s side and No. 20 on the women’s side.

Also on the schedule are a home meet with Virginia Tech and a visit to Notre Dame. Both schools have ranked women’s teams and unranked — but vote-getting — men’s teams. Before seeing the Cavs, Hokies and Irish however, Pitt hosts two dual meets this weekend to kick off the schedule.

St. Bonaventure will come to Trees Pool on Friday at 3 p.m. to open Pitt’s season, while Big East conference foe Syracuse will take on the Panthers on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m.