After a week-long break, the UConn women’s swim and dive team will be back in action at home against Big East rival Providence College this Saturday at noon. Both teams are coming off of a win and hope to carry over that momentum as their swim seasons are nearing an end.
Providence looks to keep its hot stretch going, as they are coming off a 161-139 win over the University of Maine. Providence (2-7) has not had much success this season, and are hoping to upset the undefeated Huskies. Despite this lopsided record, the Friars have had their fair share of success, most noticeably against Assumption University, where they won 169-76. In this meet, they won 11 of the 12 events where junior Katie Winklosky led the way taking the gold in three events, the 200-meter SC freestyle (2:12.09), 400 SC freestyle (4:43.02) and the 200-meter SC IM (3:29.79). If Providence is to succeed against the Huskies, they will have to lean on their leaders like Winklosky, who faces a tall task in leading a team many have counted out before they have even begun.
This season for Connecticut has been one to remember. The women are currently 8-0 and have beaten teams one by one. They come into this meet after a successful homestand where they defeated Central Connecticut State University and the University of New Hampshire by scores of 188-111 and 186-114, respectively. Despite these seemingly lopsided scoreboards, this UConn swim team has also had many close events that could have gone either way.
If UConn wants to beat the Friars, they will need to maintain their current strategy: get ahead early and don’t let up. Take their most recent meet against UNH, for instance. The Huskies won the first six events in that meet and 13 of 16 overall. They have also done well in winning events with razor-thin margins. Last week, UNH swimmer Audrey Mahoney put up a time of 52.90 seconds, which is generally enough to win; however, UConn’s Maggie Donlevy won by .11 second. While some may see a win in an event like that as luck, how can it be when this squad has compiled close wins like this all season. These close finishes could ultimately be the Huskies’ downfall, as Providence is riding on a hot streak looking to come home with a big upset win.
While finishing undefeated is nice, it is not at the top of the Huskies’ priority list. From day one, Connecticut’s sights have been set on bringing a Big East title to Storrs. They will be able to do so on Feb. 25, when the competition will be the stiffest. That meet will take place at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow, New York.
