The University of Connecticut’s swimming and diving team had a great weekend of home meets at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium as they came out on top versus two other New England schools. First, on Friday, UConn defeated fellow Connecticut public school Central Connecticut State 188-111; then, on Saturday, it took down New Hampshire by nearly as large a margin of victory, 186-114.
Friday began as a back-and-forth affair for the Huskies; Kayla Mendonca, Angela Gambardella, Charlotte Proceller and Maggie Donlevy secured yet another 200 yard medley relay win to begin the day, but then CCSU’s Abbey Keane took the very next event, the 1000 yard freestyle. That would go on for the first six events, as the squads were effectively knotted up 3-3 in first place finishes, but then the Huskies ran away with the day. Mia Galat (50 yard freestyle), Donlevy (100 yard freestyle), Robyn Edwards (200 yard backstroke) and Gambardella (200 yard breaststroke) went on a run that gave Connecticut a lot of breathing room to work with. From there, it was just a matter of closing it out: UConn won five of the last six events, with Julia Pioso, Ana Laura Faoro and Darah Ostrom stealing the show with first, second and third place finishes, respectively, in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. That triumph was a great achievement in and of itself, but UConn still had to maintain some energy for the next day, as it would have to take on the New Hampshire Wildcats before it could rest for the weekend.
Saturday started outstandingly well, as UConn won the first six events of the day and eight of its first ten. Leading the way were the 200 yard medley relay team of Mendonca, Gambardella, Proceller and Donlevy, who have been incredible successful all year in that event, Niamh Hofland, who set the tone early with her usual 1000 yard freestyle gold, and Edwards, who took first in both the 100 yard and 200 yard backstroke, putting Connecticut on the path to victory right from the get-go. Other UConn women shone through the rest of the pack, too: Lexi Martino, who won two 200 yard events, the butterfly and the individual medley; Pioso and Faoro, who each got a gold and a silver in the diving events; and Ella Epes, who won the 100 yard butterfly. With how good the Huskies were in the pool, it really never felt all that close, and it led to a wire-to-wire victory over the New Hampshire Wildcats.
Both of those victories give UConn an overall 8-0 record on the year in meets, along with a 3-0 record in the Big East. Its dominance was evident all weekend, and it rarely faltered, if at all, proving the Huskies might have even more swagger this season than they did in their last. Suffice to say, as they prepare for their final regular season meet against Providence College next Saturday, they must feel confident about their chances when tournament season comes around.
