UNC Asheville vs ECU (W)
- Saturday, October 1, 2022
- Asheville, N.C.
- SCY (25 yards)
- FULL RESULTS (PDF)
- Final Results: UNC Asheville 160, ECU 140
Courtesy: UNC Asheville Athletics
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville swimming & diving team knocked off ECU by a score of 160-140 in its first dual meet of the 2022-23 season on Saturday. With the victory, Asheville has now won 13 consecutive dual meets dating back to October 2020.
“There is nothing more special than being part of this fun team of women who lift each other up; and the Bulldogs proved that again this weekend in the pool and on the boards,” said junior Gaby Shenot afterward. “We love a challenge, so nothing beats losing my voice from cheering for my teammates. I am so proud to be a Bulldog.”
This weekend’s meet began on Friday with the diving session between the Pirates and Bulldogs. Sophomore Morgan Coughlen paced Asheville in the pair of 1-meter diving events on Friday with point totals of 201.30 and 210.20. ECU built an early lead against the Bulldogs thanks to its performances on the boards as it held a 32-6 lead on Asheville going into Saturday.
Asheville wasted little time cutting into the Pirate lead when the two teams started to compete on Saturday. The quartet of Nora Segurola Larrinaga, Mikaela Fullerton, Sammy Kershner, and Delaney Carlton teamed up to start Asheville’s day with an event win in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:46.01.
After its opening relay victory, Asheville kept picking up points in bunches in the next few events. Anna Marcotti tallied her first collegiate event win as she paced the field in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:55.10. ECU won the next event in the 100-yard backstroke, but Bulldogs Segurola (57.81), Grace Adams (58.40), and Addison Wright (1:01.30) finished second, third, fourth to help Asheville’s cause.
Asheville placed two of the top three times in the 100-yard breaststroke from Beatrice Cocconcelli (2nd – 1:07.19) and Fullerton (3rd – 1:07.63) before three straight event wins from Riley Edmundson (200-yard fly – 2:06.07) and Carlton (50-yard free – 23.42, 100-yard free – 51.41) rapidly cut into the deficit.
The Bulldogs would take their first lead of the meet after the 200-yard backstroke when again Segurola (2:05.77) and Adams (2:07.26) placed second and third to give Asheville a 104-103 lead.
“Knowing a meet is going to be close is one of the best feelings a coach can anticipate,” UNC Asheville Head Coach Elizabeth Lykins said. “Taking on challenges makes the team stronger in our adaptation to adversity. Our staff could not be prouder of how these ladies handled the pressure and turned it into excitement.”
ECU and Asheville continued to battle back-and-forth with the lead in the next couple of events. However, Asheville won the 100-yard fly (Chloe McDonald (57.46), 200-yard individual medley (Edmundson – 2:08.91), and 400-yard freestyle relay (Marcotti, Abby Parks, Segurola, Carlton – 3:30.01) to clinch the 160-140 victory.
Asheville will return to action on October 22 when it hosts Campbell for its first conference meet of the season. The start time for that meet is set for 10:30 a.m. on ESPN+.
Courtesy: ECU Athletics
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Despite winning eight events in its first meet of the 2022 season, the East Carolina women’s swimming and diving team came up short Saturday falling to UNC Asheville 160-140.
“Tough loss for us today,” said ECU Head Coach Matt Jabs. “Our girls competed until the end and we have a lot of learning to do as a young team. Our divers dominated sweeping both events and I’m really pleased with what coach (Ryan) McIntire and those girls are doing. Asheville is a solid team and they matched our energy throughout the meet and capitalized on opportunities when they could. They are going to do some damage in their conference this season.”
ECU set the tone early by placing in the top three in both diving events on Friday with junior Flanary Patterson claiming the top spot with scores of 230.95 and 238.50. Redshirt freshman Caitlin Irvine Smith finished second with scores of 229.40 and 232.70, while senior Anna Otto took third after scoring 220.40 and 232.10 points.
Saturday was the swimming events, which began at 10 a.m. The team of graduate student Bryanna Wolfe, senior Caitlin Reynera, sophomore Laura Kellberg and freshman Claire Mowery finished second in the 200-medley relay.
Senior Polina Rukosuev won the 1000 free with a time of 10:29.60 and in the very next event (roughly two minutes later) almost pulled out the win in the 200 free getting out touched in the last 25 yards by Anna Marcotti. Rukosuev also claimed the 500 free with a time of 5:08.18.
Wolfe won a pair of races in the 100 (57.80) and 200 backstroke (2:05.38), while Reynera took first in the 100 (1:05.52) and 200 breaststroke (2:21.80). A trio of underclassmen in freshman Sadie Covington, sophomore Rachel Gibson and freshman Sara Kalawska each had stellar showings for the Pirates. Covington placed third in the 1000 free (10:39.36) and second in the 500 free (5:10.22). Gibson placed fourth in both the 100 (1:08.36) and 200 breaststroke (2:26.87), while Kalawska took second in the 100 (57.65) and 200 fly (2:09.22) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:13.97).
The Pirates will return to the pool on Friday, Oct. 7 playing host to Barton, Campbell and Chowan in a swimming quad-meet beginning at 4 p.m. (EDT). Saturday, they will host Richmond at 12 noon in swimming and diving events.