Swim team splits first dual meet

The swimming and diving teams looked to back up a strong performance at home with a quality showing in Pittsburgh on Friday night.

The men's team (1-0) scored a victory, 127-116, while the women (0-1) came up short in a 165.5-77.5 decision.

Head coach Andy Bashor made it clear that both of his teams fought hard throughout the meet.

"It's about winning, but also about competing and getting in some really quality races early in the season, which I really thought we did," Bashor said.

The Bulls went up against tough competition, as the Pittsburgh men (0-1) and women (1-0) are both out of the Big East Conference.

"Pitt is a Big East team, and they are usually top three in the conference year after year," Bashor said. "To come in and be able to compete with them, and on the men's side be able to beat them…I think it's a testament to how far we've come in a short period of time."

One of the most crucial races of the night for the men was the 400-yard freestyle relay. Not only was it the last race of the night, but it decided the outcome of the entire event.

"That was fun. It came down to whoever won that relay would win the meet," Bashor said. "We thought we had a really strong chance at winning it. They stepped up and swam really well. These are the fun ones to be a part of."

The men also swept the entire diving competition behind strong performances from junior Colin Patrican and senior Kenny Rhoades.

Not all was lost for the women despite the loss.

Sophomore Caroline Simmons won two sprint freestyle races and also anchored the winning 400-yard relay team, which also included sophomore Karly Moore and seniors Jessie Koltz and Jordan Deren.

Next up is another dual meet for the Bulls. They visit Colgate on Saturday.

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