The Huskies continued their home winning streak with a win again the University of Rhode Island on Saturday. The team just came off a devastatingly close loss to Northeastern University last Saturday but was able to defend their dominance once again this weekend. Although the Rams had some standout swims, they could not outswim the Huskies.
The Huskies started off strong in the first event with a first and second place finish in the 400-yard medley relay. The first-place finishers, who earned the team 11 points, consisted of senior Maggie Donlevy in backstroke, freshman Sydney Perkins in breaststroke, freshman Stella McCardie in butterfly and freshman Jessica Sheng in freestyle. The group finished an impressive nine seconds ahead of third-place Ram’s finisher with a time of 3:41.58. The group also set a pool record. This event started the Huskies off with an impressive 13-point lead.
The Huskies continued to dominate in the second event with first and third place finishes. Senior Kayla Mendonca finished with a time of 10:25.93, an impressive 9.04 seconds ahead of the Ram’s second place finisher, junior Maddie Tetreault. Third place finisher freshman Jordyn Ricciotti finished with a time of 10:40.52, an impressive 4.99 seconds ahead of the Ram’s fourth place finisher, freshman Mary McCormick.
The Huskies continued to pick up first place wins and nine points in the first five events. The fourth event was especially successful for the Huskies, with both first and second place finishes by Sheng and sophomore Rhian Russel. The Huskies broke their first-place finish streak of the meet in the sixth event, the 200-yard butterfly, where the Rams snagged first and second place. Freshman Tyler Julianna was a standout swimmer for the Rams with an impressive first place finish in this event with a time of 2:01.71, 3.77 seconds ahead of the Huskies’ third-place finisher. The Ram’s sophomore Ella Hacker also had a strong swim, touching out freshman Julia Fondersmith by 0.09 seconds to secure second place.
The Huskies continued to obtain first place in events seven through 10. One standout event was the three-meter dive, where the Huskies swept, winning first, second and third place. Junior Darah Ostrom led the dive with a score of 271.20, winning the team nine points. Senior Julia Pioso and sophomore Kate Cooper finished just behind her, winning the team four and three points, consecutively. The 200-yard back stroke was also a standout event, where a pool and school record were set by sophomore Bella Hoffman.
The Rams attempted to come back in the 11th event, the 200-yard breaststroke, led by Senior Hannah Benavides, who beat out Perkins by 1.33 seconds with a time of 2:16.55. However, the Huskies did not let this deter them from delivering first place finishes until the end of the meet. Most notably, junior Lexi Martino set a pool record in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:23.09.
The Huskies had continued momentum throughout the meet and finished with a score of 155-134. The team now has a 3-2 overall record and is 2-0 at home. The meet showed their dynamic strength in numerous events and proved they will be a powerful force this season. They now look forward to their next meet in two weeks at the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pa. from Friday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Nov. 24.