PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The BIG EAST Swimming & Diving season is well underway with teams racking up impressive accomplishments over the last few weeks.
Cincinnati – The Bearcats traveled to Oxford, Ohio, Dec. 2-4 for the three-day Miami Invitational. The women finished fourth out of eight squads, collecting 957 points, while the men finished sixth out of seven squads with 1,081 points. Both teams compete again Jan. 14, hosting Miami (Ohio) at 5 p.m. and traveling to Louisville Jan. 15.
Connecticut - The Connecticut men hosted Harvard Dec. 4, losing 182-118. The women did not compete last week. In their last outing, the women finished third of eight behind Maryland and Villanova at the Terrapin Cup Nov. 18-20. Both teams will host Seton Hall Jan. 22 at 1 p.m.
Georgetown – Georgetown participated in the Galbraith Diving Invitational in New Brunswick, N.J. Dec. 3-5. The Hoyas compete again Jan. 15, hosting American and James Madison at 1 p.m.
Louisville – The Cardinals traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for the USA Short Course Nationals Dec. 2-4, where they posted landmark performances. Lindsey LaPorte set a school record in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:28.05 and finished eighth in the A-final. In the 200 breast, Therese Bergstrom was fourth with a school-record time of 2:10.59. Giselle Kohoyda was eighth with a time of 2:11.31, which makes her the 18-and-under National Champion in the 200 breast. For the men, Carlos Almeida qualified for the class A-finals in two individual and two relay events, putting him among the top performers in the nation in those particular events. The Cardinals are back in action Jan. 2, traveling to the Cocoa Beach Invitational.
Notre Dame – The Notre Dame swimming and diving teams competed in the Hawkeye Invitational at Iowa Dec. 3-5, while the women’s swimming team participated in the USA Short Course Nationals Dec. 2-4. The men’s squad finished second of seven teams, earning 822 points. At the USA Short Course Nationals, Samantha Maxwell ND with a sixth-place finish in the A-final of the 200 breast in 2:11.06. That performance Saturday evening was the fourth-fastest time in program history. The women compete again Jan. 4, traveling to Hawaii. The men’s team is back in action Jan. 12 traveling to Northwestern for a 4 p.m. meet.
Pittsburgh – The Panthers did not compete last week. Last time out, Pitt traveled to Rutgers for the three-day Super Splash Invitational Nov. 19-21. The women’s squad took home first place collecting 1,576.5 points, while the men finished fourth with 1,340 points. The Panthers are back in action Jan. 8, hosting Virginia at 11 a.m.
Providence - The Friars traveled to Kingston, R.I. Dec. 3 for the Harold Anderson Invitational. The Friar women finished second of seven teams, while the men took home first place. Both teams are back in action Jan. 4, traveling St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for winter training.
Rutgers – Rutgers downed Wagner 179-100 Dec. 3. Rutgers also competed in the Big Al Open at Princeton Dec. 4-5. Jen Betz ranked first of 26 divers in the one-meter event. The Scarlet Knights are back in action Jan. 8, traveling to Maryland for a 1 p.m. meet.
Seton Hall – The Pirates participated in the USA Swimming Short Course Nationals Dec. 2-4. Seton Hall hosted Montclair State Dec. 6. The women’s squad defeated Montclair State 152-76, while the men won 134-91. Both teams travel to Ponce, Puerto Rico, for the teams’ winter training trip.
Syracuse – Kuba Kotynia represented the Orange at the USA Swimming Short Course Nationals Dec. 2-4. He placed 36th in the 100-yard breaststroke in 55.92. Kotynia and SU head to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jan. 5 for a week of semester-break training before returning to the pool in its final home meet Feb. 4-5 against Villanova and Providence.
Villanova – The Wildcats traveled to the USA Swimming Short Course Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. Erin Malone and Hayley Edwards both advanced to the finals in one of their respective events. In the 200 yard breaststroke, Malone tallied one of only two top-20 individual finishes of the meet for VU by advancing to the consolation final of the event. Edwards advanced to the bonus final of the 200 butterfly. The women are back in action Jan. 14-15, traveling to Maryland for a quad-meet. Both teams compete Jan. 18, hosting Seton Hall at 4 p.m.
West Virginia - The Mountaineers did not compete last week. In their last outing, the women finished fifth at the Nike Cup Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C. Nov. 18-20, while the men finished fifth. Both teams compete again Dec. 31, traveling to UC Santa Barbara at 4 p.m.
2010-11 BIG EAST Top Times
Event Men Team Time Women Team Time
50 Free Brendon Andrews Louisville 20.13 Amywren Miller Notre Dame 22.65
100 Free Brendon Andrews Louisville 44.30 Aileen Cole Louisville 49.90
200 Free Krim Zayed Connecticut 1:36.28 Lindsey Laporte Louisville 1:47.55
400 Free Eric Burchell Providence 4:19.90 Courtney Larcom Providence 4:43.53
500 Free Riley Martin Louisville 4:22.43 Roxanne Tammadge Villanova 4:46.23
800 Free Eric Burchell Providence 9:06.44 Courtney Larcom Providence 9:34.34
1000 Free Charlie Bolgan Louisville 9:25.04 Kata Fodor West Virginia 10:07.55
1650 Free Riley Martin Louisville 15:19.52 Roxanne Tammadge Villanova 16:23.27
100 Back Adam Maczewski Pittsburgh 47.89 Kristina Brandenburg Louisville 54.04
200 Back Jared Christie-Goldthorpe West Virginia 1:45.86 Kristina Brandenburg Louisville 1:57.32
100 Breast Carlos Almeida Louisville 53.36 Therese Bergstrom Louisville 1:00.61
200 Breast Kotynia Kuba Syracuse 1:58.24 Therese Bergstrom Louisville 2:10.59
100 Fly Taylor Camp West Virginia 48.64 Lorraine Thompson Louisville 54.83
200 Fly Pedro Oliveira Louisville 1:46.17 Amanda Nugent West Virginia 1:58.85
200 IM Carlos Almeida Louisville 1:46.84 Lindsay Rogers Louisville 2:00.79
400 IM Kevin Webster Seton Hall 3:54.14 Fanny Lilliestrom Louisville 4:17.10
200 Free Relay Men’s Team Louisville 1:21.18 Women’s Team Louisville 1:31.80
400 Free Relay Men’s Team Connecticut 2:59.52 Women’s Team Louisville 3:21.14
800 Free Relay Men’s Team Connecticut 6:31.82 Women’s Team Louisville 7:20.50
200 Medley Men’s Team Louisville 1:28.88 Women’s Team Louisville 1:40.05
400 Medley Men’s Team Louisville 3:16.00 Women’s Team Louisville 3:40.48
