Patiently waiting for over a month for their return to the pool, the UConn women’s swim and dive began the Spring season on Saturday with a head-to-head matchup against the Seton Hall Pirates.
The two teams traded event victories throughout the match, but late triumphs in the 500-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly helped Connecticut pull away late for their fourth consecutive win.
The Huskies struck first with early victories in the 200-yard medley and a first-place finish from senior standout Niamh Hofland in the 1000-yard freestyle. The Pirates countered with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle, but captain Kayla Mendonca helped swing momentum back in favor of the Huskies with a win in the 100-yard backstroke.
The Pirates continued to answer back, as they took the victory in the 100-yard breaststroke by less than a tenth of a second, but UConn pulled back ahead with a dominant showing in the 200-yard butterfly.
Despite the Pirates having first-place finishes in the one- and three-meter diving events by Silvia Alessio, the Huskies showed their depth by taking the next five places in both races. Junior Julia Pioso tallied seven points with a third-place finish in the one-meter and a second-place finish in the three-meter.
Later in the match, Hofland tacked on another distance victory with a 5:02.79 clocking in the 500-yard freestyle. This was the turning point in the day, as Connecticut followed with overwhelming victories in the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley to begin pulling away. The Pirates snuck in one more win in the 400-yard freestyle relay but it wasn’t enough as the Huskies pulled away with the ultimate triumph.
Now sitting at 6-2 on the season, the Huskies got out to a 2-0 start with wins over Southern Connecticut State and Georgetown before going on a mini, two-game skid against Villanova and Northeastern. Saturday’s road win over the Pirates comes on the heels of their 188-111 rout of Vermont, and previous victories over Bucknell and Rhode Island. These games were all on the road.
The well-tested Huskies will hit the road for the final time this season as they head to Durham, N.H. for a matchup with the New Hampshire Wildcats, in search of their fifth consecutive win.