Swimming & Diving: Panthers hope to make splash in ACC championships

Following a regular season in which the team posted a tremendous 6-2 record, the Pitt women’s swimming and diving team heads to Greensboro, N.C., Wednesday to take part in the program’s first-ever ACC championships.

Despite coming off a loss two weekends ago, in which both the men’s and women’s teams fell to conference rival Virginia, Pitt head coach Chuck Knoles doesn’t think the defeat will play any role in the team’s performance.

“Our season is entirely focused on the ACC championships and performing well there,” said Knoles, the program’s all-time winningest swimming and diving coach, who is currently in his 22nd year. “I’m confident our plan will be successful.”

The Panthers placed third overall last year at the Big East championships, but they expect to face stiffer competition in Greensboro.

As a whole, the team has put together a commendable season. The relay teams have been moderately successful, ranking fifth in the ACC in the 400-meter medley and eighth in the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle, as well as eighth in the 200-meter medley. But a select few swimmers and divers in particular have been key factors in the team’s strong in-season performance heading into the postseason.

Kaleigh Ritter: The sophomore from Houston is ranked 18th in the nation in the 1,650-meter freestyle and third in the ACC. While that event will be her best shot at placing, Ritter also ranks 10th in the conference in the 500-meter freestyle and 14th in the 1,000-meter freestyle. She already holds two school records in the 1,000-meter and 1,650-meter freestyles, so a successful performance in Greensboro will only further bolster her confidence moving forward.

Veronica Lee: A senior from Toronto, Lee will head into the ACC championships as the most experienced Panther on the roster. She will appear in her fourth conference championship meet — the previous three were Big East championships — and contributed to the school record-setting 200-meter medley relay at last year’s championships. She currently ranks sixth in the conference in the 200-meter breaststroke and 14th in the 200-meter individual medley. The senior will look to add a few more accolades to her career at Pitt, when she competes in her last collegiate conference championship.

Rachel Saunders: Already the most skilled diver on the team, Saunders, a freshman from Warrington, Pa., will look to shine in her first collegiate postseason appearance. Saunders has been the Panthers’ best diver in the 1-meter, 3-meter and the platform, posting the team’s top season scores for all three events.

Dani des Tombe: Like fellow Canadian teamate Lee, des Tombe is one of Pitt’s top returning swimmers. Des Tombe, of Burlington, Ontario, was a member of the school record-setting 800-meter freestyle relay and 200-meter medley relay at last year’s Big East championships. She has posted the best times for the Panthers this year in 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle.

Kinga Cichowska: A long way from home, the freshman from Wroclaw, Poland, has already made a name for herself at Pitt. Currently ranked fifth in the ACC for the 200-meter breaststroke and seventh for the 100-meter breaststroke, Cichowska has a chance to make some noise in her first postseason. Cichowska, a former two-time gold medalist in the junior Olympics, has already set school records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke as well as having contributed to the record-setting 400-meter medley relay.

The ACC championship begin at 6 p.m. at the Greensboro Aquatic Center and will continue through Saturday. The official ACC website will stream the contests in their entirety.