Eye on the Prize
February 20, 2003 09:54 AM | General
February 20, 2003
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The WVU swimming and diving team is eyeing the big prize this weekend at the BIG EAST Championships in Uniondale, N.Y.
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| Franca |
The Mountaineers begin competition at 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning. The meet will wrap up on Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Nassau County Aquatics Center.
The top three finishers in each event will earn all-BIG EAST status.
"This is what we've worked for the whole season as a team," said fourth-year coach Eric McIlquham. "We're looking for some great performances and to close out the year on a solid note."
The Mountaineer men look to place high after compiling a 9-5 overall record and an even 3-3 mark in conference action this season. They finished sixth overall at last year's conference meet.
All-BIG EAST freestyler Kleyton Franca will try to capture his third consecutive BIG EAST championship in the 200 freestyle event -- a feat that would make him just the 20th three-time champion in BIG EAST history. The junior from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, paced the men's squad with 19 individual wins and was victorious in three or more events on four separate occasions.
He will also look to qualify for the NCAAs in the 200 and 500 free events for the second straight season.
"Kleyton is just a great competitor and rises to the competition every time he gets in the water," said McIlquham. "Winning two BIG EAST championships in a row is a tough thing to do let alone the possibility of three, so it really says a lot about his character and will to succeed."
Sophomore Pedro Pinto, who dominated opponents throughout the season in butterfly and individual medley events, was second on the men's squad with 11 individual wins and will be among the elite contenders in his events. Fellow sophomore Matt Drozd notched seven victories and could be a major factor in the sprint freestyle events.
Sophomores Ryan Faught and Brian Donohue will try and score points in the diving events for the Mountaineers.
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| Quinn |
The women's team improved from a 3-7 dual meet record last season to finish 7-8 in 2002-03, including a first-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational in early December. They notched a ninth-place finish in last year's BIG EAST Championships.
Junior freestyler Devlyn Quinn paced the team with seven individual victories. Quinn earned all-BIG EAST honors in the 50 free last season and is a favorite to qualify for the NCAAs this year.
Freshmen Ashley Bissett and Megan Carlson each enjoyed solid rookie seasons and will look to score valuable points for the Mountaineers.
"The women have certainly gotten a lot deeper and stronger this season," said McIlquham. "We know we may not be at the top level that some other teams in the conference are at right now, but we are continuously improving and moving forward. We're really looking to get some great experience on the women's side of things at BIG EAST."
Sophomore diver Kristen Moffatt solidified herself as one of the top divers in the conference after scoring a 293.7 on the three-meter boards against Syracuse to set a team and pool record.
Winning the overall team competition will certainly be a trying task for West Virginia -- the Notre Dame women and the Pitt men are each vying for their seventh consecutive BIG EAST team championship.
"Our main goal is to forget about the overall points and just swim the best that we can," said McIlquham. "We have people that are capable of breaking some personal and team records as well as winning some individual championships and qualifying for NCAAs. It should be an exciting weekend for us."
