Big East – Men and Women
- Wednesday, February 20– Saturday, February 23
- Nassau Aquatic Center, East Meadow, New York (Eastern Time Zone)
- Defending Champion: Villanova women (5x) & Seton Hall men (2x) (results)
- Live results / Diving Results
- Live Video
- Championship Central
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – The Villanova women continued to dominate winning gold in every event. They have extended their lead and are 221 points ahead of Xavier going into the final day of competition. On the men’s side, Georgetown maintains a slim lead over Xavier – foreshadowing an exciting finals on Saturday.
The Georgetown men maintain a slim lead over Xavier after three days of competition at the 2019 BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships presented by Jeep. The Hoyas have amassed 522 points to the Musketeers’ 500.5 points. The Villanova women have increased their lead to 671.5 points over second-place Xavier with 449 points. The Wildcats captured gold medals in each woman’s event on Friday.
400 Individual Medley
The Villanova women were fast with Kelly Montesi (4:10.25) and Elise Pidutti (4:15.54) taking the top two spots with NCAA- B cut times. Elizabeth Sargent followed them for the bronze touching the wall in 4:24.54 for Seton Hall.
For the men – Villanova’s Justin Cucci touched first with a time of 3:52.98. Georgetown’s Brett Sherman followed in 3:54.06, with Lior Grubert of Seton Hall taking third with a time of 3:57.64.
100 Butterfly
In perhaps the most exciting race of the night Micaela Grassi of Villanova out-touched Xavier’s Caroline Gaertner by two one hundredths of a second. Grassi clocked in at 54.49, and Gaertner followed at 54.51. Xavier’s Taylor Hogan took the bronze with a time of 55.31.
100 Butterfly – Waiting for results. Micaela Grassi from Villanova (54.49) and Caroline Gaertner (54.51) of Xavier
For the men – Seton Hall’s Liam Cosgrove was victorious in the men’s 100 butterfly touching the wall at 48.41. Villanova’s Stephen Krecsmar took the silver (48.79) and David Bunnell (49.02) of Xavier took the bronze.
200 Freestyle
Villanova was dominant in this race and earned the top four spots on the podium. Villanova’s Alexandra Fabbri out-touched teammate Millie Routledge by just five one hundredths of a second to win the gold medal. Fabbri was timed at 1:47.92 and Routledge soon followed in 1:47.97. Wildcat Taylor Wilson took the bronze medal with a time of 1:48.28.
On the men’s side – Georgetown’s Jacob Kohlhoff took the gold medal with a time of 1:38.45. Seton Hall’s Benjamin La Clair touched next with 1:38.88 for second place, and Georgetown’s Michael Wheeler was third in 1:39.09.
100 Breaststroke
Rayann Jaryszak of Villanova swam a 1:02.75 to win the gold for the Wildcats. Butler University had their first individual medal of the Big East Championships when Emma Spotts took silver. She was a bright spot for the Bulldog’s touching the wall with a time of 1:03.99. Rounding out the podium in third was Jordan Decker from Seton Hall with a 1:04.42,
In another close race, Xavier’s Matthew Dyer took the 100 Breaststroke gold with a time of 54.29. Josh Tosoni of Seton Hall touched shortly after with a time of 54.95, and Hoya Nathaniel Goldfarb earned a bronze with a time of 55.06.
100 Backstroke
Villanova’s Darby Goodwin is Big East Champion for a fourth straight year. In her last 100 backstroke Big East competition she once again earned the gold with a time of 54.61. Enlin Chen of Georgetown was the runner-up touching the wall in 55.05, while Xavier’s Caroline Gaertner took the bronze medal 55.30.
Four time 100 Backstroke Champion Darby Goodwin (Villanova) Enlin Chen (Georgetown) Caroline Gaertner (Xavier)
Georgetown’s Drew Carbone was first to the wall for the men in the 100 Backstroke. He earned his second Big East title with a time of 48.27. Xavier’s Samuel Johanns took the silver in 48.34, followed by fellow Musketeer Nathan Runyon, who earned bronze in 48.46.
Men’s 3m Springboard
Wildcat Michael Perra defended his Big East title by handily winning the 3-meter event with 617.70 points. This is the second year that Perra has earned the Big East title in all Diving events. Freshman teammate Michael Ackert secured his second silver medal with 564.90 points, and Georgetown’s Griffen Edmonds won the bronze with 504.20 points.
400 Medley Relay
In the women’s 400 medley relay, Villanova made it a perfect night with a gold medal sweep. The team of Goodwin, Jaryszak, Montesi and Wilson combined for a time of 3:40.92. Xavier was second, touching in 3:45.34 with Seton Hall claiming third in 3:49.98.
The Xavier men needed this relay win to close the gap with Georgetown. The team of Runyon, Dyer, Abboud and Johanns delivered – swimming a 3:14.84 for the gold. The Hoyas followed in 3:17.14 for silver and Seton Hall followed in a time of 3:18.51 for the bronze.
Team Standings – Day 3
WOMEN
1. Villanova 671.5
2. Xavier 449
3. Georgetown 390.5
4. Seton Hall 293
5. Butler 159
6. Providence 156
MEN
1. Georgetown 522
2. Xavier 500.5
3. Seton Hall 451
4. Villanova 434.5
5. Providence 179
The final day of the Big East Championships start today at 10am for prelims for the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle relay. The women’s 1 meter springboard prelims start at noon. The first heats of the timed finals of the 1,650 freestyle will start at 3:30 p.m. Finals for the remaining events are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. with the senior recognition ceremony scheduled for 5:35 p.m.