The University of New Hampshire women's swimming & diving team returned to action Saturday at Kiphuth Exhibition Pool, but suffered a 152-85 setback to Yale University in dual meet action.
Senior Katie Mann (Prince George, British Columbia) sophomore Bettina Caspersen (Lyngby, Denmark) and freshman Liza Baykova (Moscow, Russia) notched the lone first place finishes for the Wildcats. Mann captured the top time in the 400-yard IM, hitting the panel at 4 minutes, 23.70 seconds. Caspersen parted the water in the 100-yard breaststroke to register a mark of 1:06.10. Baykova paced the field in the 200-yard freestyle, cutting through the water with a time of 1:51.67.
The Wildcats and Bulldogs kicked off the meet by competing in the one-meter dive. Senior Nicole Zahka (Medway, Mass.) started the scoring for UNH with a fifth place score in the event, earning a score of 195.90.
In the following event, the two squads competed in the 400-yard medley relay. The quartet of Sarah Broderick (Haverhill, Mass.), Jessica Harper (Easthampton, Mass.) Mann and Baykova combined for a second place time of 3:53.58.
Senior Oneida Cooper (Johannesburg, South Africa) headlined the 'Cats in the 1,000-yard freestyle by placing third, tapping the wall at 10:19.14.
Following Baykova's first place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, Broderick was edged out in the 50-yard freestyle race, clocking in a third place time of 24.57. Five out of the six competitors in the event turned in a sub-25 second time as the lead time went to Sydney Hirschi of Yale with a mark of 24.45.
The meet moved back to the boards as Zahka paced the 'Cats in the three-meter dive. The senior tallied a score of 237.38, good for fifth place.
In the waning moments of the meet, New Hampshire came close to a trio of first place finishes. Harper was edged out in the 100-yard backstroke as the rookie turned in a runner-up time of 58.45. In the next event, Baykova was out-touched by the Bulldogs as the freshman notched a 51.70 mark, just .18 seconds behind the lead time. Senior Nicole Anderson (Dover, N.H.) broke the one-minute barrier in the 100-yard backstroke, hitting the panel at 59.79 for second place.
The Wildcats capped off the meet with a third place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The group of senior Megan Suffel (Cornwall, Ontario), Baykova, Broderick and Caspersen engineered a time of 1:39.44.
UNH concludes the dual meet season with a pair of contests at home before competing in the four-day competition at the America East Championships (Feb. 12-15). New Hampshire welcomes Rutgers University to Swasey Pool on Saturday, Jan. 24 (11 a.m.). The Wildcats renew their rivalry with the University of Maine on Friday, Jan. 30 (5 p.m.) for Senior Day.
