Entering day two with a six-point edge to lead the field, the Rutgers women’s swimming and diving team maintained its dominance to secure the victory over Villanova, Georgetown and Seton Hall Saturday morning at the RU Aquatics Center. The Scarlet Knights marked impressive leads against the Wildcats (189.50-154.50), the Hoyas (257.50-95.50) and the Pirates (284-68).
“I was excited to see us compete in both sessions of the meet at both the swimming and diving ends of the pool,” said head coach Phil Spiniello. “It was a complete team effort and it was great to see everyone step up and fill their role. I hope we can carry this momentum to the Frank Elm Invite and continue to train and compete at a high level.”
The Scarlet Knights placed first in 12 of 19 total events of the two-day meet. Leading the count, junior Morgan Pfaff (Red Lion, Pa.) and senior Greta Leberfinger (Chatham, N.J.) posted a combined total of six top finishes.
Pfaff controlled all four of her events, including the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley. Leberfinger added wins in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke, along with second-place finishes in the 200 I.M. and 400 I.M.
Freshman diver Addy Walkowaik (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) continued with a solid performance in the women’s 1-meter dive. The New York native posted a score of 281.55 to notch first in the event.
Rutgers came out in full force to begin the second day of competition, claiming first and third in the 200 medley relay. Leading the quartet, junior Joanna Wu (Kent, Wash.) gave the Scarlet Knights a strong start. Senior Leberfinger and Pfaff maintained RU’s steady lead of the field. Junior Sarah Coyne (Osceola, Ind.) anchored the event to seal the victory for the group with a final time of 1:45.45.
Moving on to the 400 I.M., Pfaff and Leberfinger controlled the field, notching first and second in the race. Pfaff hit the wall first at 4:26.13, followed by Leberfinger at 4:27.41.
The competition began to heat up as Villanova edged Rutgers in the 100 freestyle with Sara Jurek of the Wildcats touching first at 52.46. Coyne held strong for RU, finishing just tenths behind at 52.64 to tie with Kaisla Kollanus of Villanova for the second-place spot.
Following two first-place finishes in the 200 backstroke and the 100 fly, RU controlled its domination in the 200 breast as Leberfinger hit the wall first at 2:19.03. Sophomore Rachel Stoddard (Hillsborough, N.J.) and freshman Larissa Neilan (Orange, Va.) came in at second and third respectively to sweep the top three spots for Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights closed the meet with a first-place finish in the 400 free relay. The team of junior Julia Kudryashova (New Providence, N.J.), sophomore Chantal Asselin (Winnipeg, MB, Canada), freshman Karli Rymer (Long Branch, N.J.) and junior Sophie Newton (Leesburg, Va.) hit the wall at 3:35.21 to seal the victory.
Rutgers returns to competition on Friday, Nov. 21 as host of the Frank Elm Invite. Following the annual three-day event, the Scarlet Knights will hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to New Haven, Conn. on Saturday, Dec. 6 for a dual meet at Boston University.
