Pitt wrapped up the second day of competition of its annual Senior Recognition Meet on Saturday, Jan. 31 with the women going 4-0 on the day and the men winning both of their dual meets.
The Pitt women, who have won all six of their dual meets this semester, are now 10-3 this season following their four victories on Saturday. The teams in attendance that the Panther women topped were California (Pa.) (246-38), Clarion (233-60), Carnegie Mellon (234-60) and Duquesne (217-74). With their wins against CMU (216-81) and Clarion (240-40), the Pitt men improved to 8-3 and are a perfect 4-0 in the 2015 calendar year.
It was a balanced and dominating effort by the entire Pitt swimming team, following in the footsteps of the Pitt divers from the day before. Of the 28 swimming events held on Saturday, the Panthers men and women combined to win 24 races, each winning 10-of-12. In nine of those wins, the men took the top two spots, including at least the top three in six of them. On three of those occasions, Pitt had at least the top four finishers. The Pitt women had at least the top two racers in eight events.
A total of 18 Panthers won individual events, nine on the men’s side and eight from the women’s team.
Three swimmers were repeat winners on the day. For the men, junior Matt Tankle (West Chester, Pa./Salesianum) swept the 100-yd backstroke (51.40) and 200-yd backstroke (1:53.20). The women were paced by sophomore Kinga Cichowska (Wroclaw, Poland/Zespol Szkol Sportowych), who swept the 100-yd breaststroke (1:03.59) and 200-yd breaststroke (2:17.65), and senior Jessica Nederlanden (Pompano Beach, Fla./Westminster Academy), who swept the sprint freestyle races, taking first in both the 50 free (23.80) and 100 free (52.06). Nederlanden was also a member of two runner-up relay teams.
Freshman Katherine Fernander (Pittsburgh, Pa./Hampton HS) had another standout performance, finishing runner-up to Cichowska in both the 100 breast (1:04.71) and 200 breast (2:18.08). She also swam on the winning 200 medley relay team (1:46.49) along with junior Mackenzie Meixner (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional), and freshmen Emily Murphy (Lima, Ohio/Shawnee HS) and Tia VanLandeghem (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate).
In addition to her win with the medley relay team, Murphy also won the 100 back in 58.19 and teamed up with juniors Leticia Lelli (Scottsdale, Ariz./University of Arizona) and Danyel Johnson (Dansville, N.Y./St. Francis University) and freshman Jenny Young (Hershey, Pa./Hershey HS) to win the 200 free relay (1:35.48). Lelli also won the 200-yd freestyle in 1:54.25.
Senior Emily Bolek (Rockville, Md./Wooton) and sophomore Athena Summa (Poquoson, Va./Poquoson) were the only other winners for the women to post at least one other top-two finish. Bolek won the 500-yd freestyle in 5:09.97 and earlier was second in the 200 fly (2:08.30). Summa, meanwhile, took first in the 200-yd butterfly (2:06.99) and was runner-up in the 100 fly (59.51).
Distance swimmers junior Kaleigh Ritter (Houston, Texas/Bellaire) and freshman Amanda Richey (Boulder, Colo./Boulder HS) bookended the individual wins for the Pitt women. Ritter started things off by winning the 1000-yd freestyle (10:25.30) by nearly 22 seconds and Richey closed things out with a 400 IM victory (4:27.48).
The men slightly more balanced from top to bottom with nine swimmers responsible for claiming 10 individual wins.
Junior David Sweeney (Acworth, Ga./North Paulding), who won the 500 free in 4:33.46, was one of two Panthers to participate on both winning relay squads. Junior Sean Heiden (West Lawn, Pa./Wilson) was the other. Opening the meet with the duo in the 200 medley relay team (1:30.52) were juniors Mack Rice (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) and Connor O’Prey (Ridley Park, Pa./Haverford). Both Rice and O’Prey each added one individual win as well, with Rice taking first in the 200 fly (1:50.18) and O’Prey winning the 50 free (21.18).
Joining Sweeney and Heiden on the winning 200 free relay team (1:22.50) were junior Avery Warrington (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park) and sophomore Haden Calegan (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine). Warrington was another individual winner, placing first in the 100 free in 45.59.
Senior Luke Nosbisch (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) and sophomores Spencer Gray (St. Charles, Ill./Saint Charles North) and Gabe Larson (Penn Hills, Pa./Penn Hills) all posted one win to go with an additional top three finish. Nosbisch was victorious in the 200 breast (2:03.17) and placed second in the 500 free (4:41.48). Larson won the 100 breast in 57.68 and was just behind Nosbisch in the 200 breast (2:05.04). Gray touched the wall first in the 200 free in 1:42.76 and was third in the 200 fly.
Junior Martin Vogel (Johannesburg, South Africa/Cambridge International Distance College) was the remaining winner for the men, taking the victory in the 400 IM in 3:56.85. Senior Sean Rinehart (Rockville, Md./George Washington) also put together a strong showing in his final home meet. He was runner-up in both the 100 back and 100 fly and was on the second place 200 medley relay team.
Pitt will finish its dual season next Saturday, Feb. 7 at Villanova, beginning at 10 a.m.
