UConn swim and dive will take on the Rhode Island Rams this Saturday. The Huskies are a clean 4-0 against the Rams all-time, winning their four matchups against them by an average of 68.75 points.
UConn is seeking its second dual meet win in a row after comfortably defeating Villanova 174-126 in its last meet on Saturday, Oct. 17. In that meet, senior Bella Hoffman and junior Sydney Perkins took charge for the Huskies, each winning two events.
The Huskies won 11 of the 16 events and placed top three in every event except for one. This win meant more for UConn, as not only was it the team’s first dual meet win of the season, but it was its first time defeating Villanova in a dual meet since 2014.
This Saturday on Halloween, UConn will swim against Rhode Island’s Logan Norrid and Molly Beckwith, who both won medals at the Atlantic 10 finals last year, Norrid in the 200-yard breaststroke and Beckwith in the 200-yard freestyle.
Rhode Island has strength on the diving side as well. Senior captain Anna Petke and Junior Amelia Kloss have both qualified for the Zone A championships in their careers, and Petke recently broke the Rhode Island program record for the one-meter dive with a score of 305.18.
The Rams began this season by dominating in a tri-meet against Stonehill and Siena. In that meet, Rhode Island defeated Siena by a score of 223-76 and Stonehill by a score of 244-52.
While these margins of victory are impressive, both Siena and Stonehill compete in mid-major conferences, specifically the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and the Northeastern Conference (NEC), respectively.
With a win against an elite swimming and diving school like Villanova, UConn has proven its dominance this season. On the other hand, the Rams have struggled to show similar dominance this year.
This is further exemplified in Rhode Island’s second meet of the season, where Northeastern completely dismantled it by a score of 166-107. Thus, the Rams will come to Storrs this Saturday with a fire under them; however, they will have to overcome their road struggles this season if they want to walk away victorious.
UConn and Rhode Island’s battle will commence at noon on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium.