For the first time in over 10 years, the University of Connecticut women’s swimming and diving team is facing off against the Yale Bulldogs. By no means is this a storied rivalry, but since 2009 UConn leads in the head-to-head matchup 2-1.
The UConn women come into this meet 3-1, having been victorious over Georgetown, Northeastern, and Central Connecticut State University, only having lost to Villanova. Yale comes to UConn to take on the Huskies at Wolff-Zackin Natatorium in Storrs at 5 p.m. this Friday.
The Huskies are coming off a win versus the Hoyas which came at a comfortable margin, 166-126. They swept the 50-yard freestyle with freshman Maggie Donlevy, junior Charlotte Proceller and sophomore Melissa Lowry, placing in that order. UConn also took both first (senior Ali Grace) and second place (senior Molly Franklin) in the 200-yard butterfly and won the 400-yard medley relay thanks to the team of junior Caitlyn Spencer, senior Katelyn Walsh, senior Linnea Anderson and Donlevy.
Donlevy had a fantastic meet, not only being a part of a relay team that placed first, but also winning some individual events: the aforementioned 50-yard free and the 100-yard free.
The Yale women will be swimming for the first time since the end of the 2019-20 season, when they held an impressive 8-1 record, going 6-1 within the Ivy League conference. In that season, their only loss was against Princeton, with a score of 194-106. At the Ivy League Championships, Yale came to place third with 1139.5 points, behind only Princeton, at 1569 points, and Harvard, at 1462 points.
As of right now, neither the Huskies nor the Bulldogs are ranked in the top 25 in the country, but don’t be surprised if, at some point down the road, these teams end up on that list. Both teams are comprised of exceptionally talented athletes, and when they’re all healthy and competing at a high level, they can really do damage.
The Huskies hope to continue their winning streak with a victory on Friday. Triumphing over the Bulldogs would make for the best meet win they’ve had all year.
