University of Bridgeport Purple Knights hosted the Yale and Sacred Heart women’s teams at Wheeler Aquatic Center on Friday, November 22, in a friendly cross-state double dual meet for Connecticut bragging rights. The Lady Bulldogs’ underclassmen won nearly every event in the short-course meters format; the incredible freshman class was particularly strong.
Yale opened the meet with a win in the 200 SCM medley relay with Kina Zhou, Ali Stephens-Pickeral, Elizabeth Fosburgh, and Olivia Jameson (2:01.29). Bridgeport’s Jaimy Taskin, Ilka Oberle, Elena Shchekleina, and Alina Sotnikova were second, less than a second ahead of Sacred Heart’s Olivia Decas, Malvina Reinhold, Elizabeth Bennett, and Jillian Crosby.
In the 800 SCM free, sophomore Eva Fabian of Yale swam a strong and steady race, winning in 8:51.36. Bridgeport junior Adeline Martin went out with Fabian and stayed with her through the 350 before her pace fell off. She finished second in 9:10.18, nine seconds ahead of Eli senior Courtney Randolph. Meredith Nyser, a junior from Sacred Heart, was fourth.
Three Yale Bulldogs were the top finishers in the 200 SCM free. Freshman Jameson took it out fast and held onto her lead, despite a huge finish from Fabian, to win in 2:06.67 to Fabian’s 2:06.79. Eli junior Rebecca Delafuente was third. Purple Knight sophomore Shchekleina came in fourth, touching out Sacred heart freshman Jillian Crosby by .02.
In the 50 SCM free, Yale freshmen Mackenzie Franklin (27.59) and Michelle Chintanaphol (27.81) led the way. Bridgeport junior Sotnikova (28.20) was third. The fastest Sacred Heart Pioneer was freshman Caleigh Dion (28.90).
Freshman Zhou of Yale took the 200 SCM IM easily, finishing in 2:24.72, nearly four seconds ahead of sophomore teammate Emily Gudbranson. Third was Mona Hagelstein of Bridgeport with 2:31.66. Sacred Heart senior Elizabeth Bennett (2:32.74) took fifth.
Another freshman was victorious in the 100 SCM fly: Isla Hutchinson-Maddox of Yale won in 1:04.01. Shchekleina of Bridgeport finished second in 1:05.79, just in front of Yale’s Randolph. Pioneer Bennett was fifth.
Bulldog freshman Anna Wujciak was first to the wall in the 100 SCM free in 59.24. In her third event of the afternoon teammate Fabian was a distant second (1:01.38), while Sacred Heart’s Crosby was third (1:01.70), only .18 in front of Bridgeport’s Sotnikova.
In the 100 SCM back, Bridgeport sophomore Taskin scored first with 1:06.33. Sacred Heart freshman Decas (1:10.71) was second. The Purple Knights’ Shannan Bott took third (1:12.36). Four Elis, led by freshman Sydney Hirschi (1:06.18) all swam exhibition.
Martin of Bridgeport won the 400 SCM free in 4:21.67. Second and third went to Pioneers Nyser and Amy Nunes, respectively. Yale’s Zhou and Fosburgh swam exhibition.
Bridgeport senior Oberle and freshman Bott battled Sacred Heart junior Reinhold for top points in the 100 breast. It was very close the whole way but in the end Oberle (1:19.00) touched first; Reinhold (1:19.71), second; and Bott (1:19.88), third. Yale sophomore Stephens-Pickeral (1:14.89) was the fastest of the four Eli exhibitioners.
The host team, University of Bridgeport, won the 200 SCM free relay as Martin, Melnikova, Hagelstein and Claudia Esteban combined for 1:52.93. The Sacred Heart quartet of Dion, Alyssa Farnsworth, Julia Pedersen, and Decas was second (1:58.04). Yale’s two relays swam exhibition. (Jameson, Chintanaphol, Franklin, Delafuente = 1:50.78; Wujciak, Emma Smith, Fosburgh, Allison West = 1:51.64)