The UConn women’s swim and dive team (6-3) lost a close contest to UNH (5-1) this Saturday, taking their first loss in the spring season.
The loss snaps their four meet win streak, all coming on the road. The Wildcats have beaten the Huskies in the last two out of three matchups.
The meet was as close as it could get, with it taking a Wildcat pool record in the 200 free relay, the last event, to clinch the victory. The team composed of Audrey Mahoney, Chiara Maria Pradissitto, Annie Jencova and Abby McKinney broke their own record with a time of 1:35.35. It was a storybook ending for McKinney as she was also honored by the team for senior night.
UNH showcased its top-end talent by winning 11 of the 16 held events, including three wins coming from Ella Guifoil.
UConn’s depth did keep them in contention up until the end, specifically in the dives. The Huskies took home the top three spots in the 3M Dive with the help of Julia Pioso, Kate Cooper and Ana Laura Faoro. Cooper and Pioso also competed in the 1M Dive taking first and third, respectively.
Despite only having a few individual wins, the Huskies had several stellar performances throughout the meet. Most notably, Olivia Hebert took home two individual wins in the 100y Breaststroke and 500y Freestyle. Combined with her second-place finish in the 400y Medley Relay and third-place finish in the 400y IM, she contributed 25 points total.
Kayla Mendonca also made major contributions to keep the Huskies within striking distance, taking second in both the 1000y Freestyle and 200y Backstroke. Ultimately, the Huskies would come up just short of the victory to extend their winning streak.
This season, UConn has had a couple of close losses, most notably to Big East rival Villanova. It should only prepare them for facing adversity in a championship setting down the line.
The Huskies will look to bounce back quickly with the regular season soon coming to an end and the Big East Championships approaching. They will move on to face Central Connecticut in the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium on Feb. 2 for their first home meet since Oct. 21.