WVU Dominates TCU to Earn Dual-Meet Wins

Saturday, January 13

Fort Worth, Texas

1 p.m.

West Virginia University

221

TCU

January 13, 2018 07:11 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving

TCU Swim/Dive Results

By: Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University swimming and diving teams showed their dominance in Saturday's dual meet against Big 12 Conference foe TCU, earning a pair of victories at the TCU Rec Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Mountaineers, who participated in their first competition since Nov. 17-19, won 29 of 32 total events on the day, including a perfect 16-for-16 for the men's team. The men topped the Horned Frogs, 221-77, while the women claimed a 196-103 win.

Four swimmers finished with four total wins on the day, including junior Merwane El Merini, sophomore Morgan Bullock and freshmen David Dixon and Angelo Russo. Bullock and Dixon each had three individual victories.

"This was a very solid meet for both teams today," WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "Their eagerness to compete showed from start to finish. Having our 200 medley relays win to start the meet got us off to a great start. From there, we really capitalized on each opportunity the rest of the way, with the men winning every event and the women losing only three events.

"Morgan (Bullock), Amelie (Currat) and Giselle (Gursoy) had outstanding days. On the men's side, David (Dixon), Merwane (El Merini), Luke (Hene) and Angelo (Russo) all had great days. I think the important takeaway from today was how well we swam as a team."

With the wins, the men's team has topped TCU for five consecutive years, while the triumph is the second straight over the Horned Frogs for the women's team.

The meet began with the women's 200 medley relay where Bullock, freshman Ally VanNetta, junior Emma Harris and sophomore Julia Nilton combined for the WVU win in 1:45.51. On the men's side, Russo, Dixon, El Merini and redshirt junior Tristen DiSibio teamed up for the victory. The foursome earned a time of 1:30.66, ahead of WVU's second-place team of sophomores Austin Hartke and Sam Neaveill, junior Jake Armstrong and freshman Max Gustafson (1:33.89).

Then, WVU earned a 2-3-4 finish in the women's 1,000 freestyle. Freshman Luisa Winkler took second in 10:38.48, while sophomore Alex Pampalone (10:39.60) and junior Morgan Carr (10:41.79) finished third and fourth, respectively. James Koval won the men's 1,000 freestyle, claiming victory by nearly five seconds in a time of 9:35.92.

In the women's 200 freestyle, Gursoy registered a win in 1:53.20, ahead of teammate Currat, who touched the wall in second place in 1:54.07. Gursoy also won the 500 free for WVU, posting a time of 5:06.73. Winkler (5:11.68) and Carr (5:11.71) followed behind in second and third.

The men earned a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 free, led by sophomore Ryan Kelly's 1:41.29. Junior Drew Damich placed second in 1:41.57, while senior Chris McMahon was third in 1:44.08.

Sophomore Trayton Saladin won the 500 free later on, leading a 1-2-3 Mountaineer finish in 4:40.80.

The winning continued for WVU in the women's 100 backstroke, where sophomore Julia Miranda won in a time of 57.25, ahead of VanNetta, who placed second in 58.35. For the men, Russo led a pack of Mountaineers with a first-place time of 50.85. Hene (51.62) finished second, while Hartke (51.82) was third.

After Harris finished second in the women's 100 breaststroke, DiSibio took home the victory for the men in a time of 56.33. Armstrong placed second in the event with a 57.39. Harris got back to her winning ways in the 200 breaststroke, though, posting a time of 2:22.65.

Dixon (2:04.28) scooped up another win in the men's 200 breaststroke, finishing one-tenth of a second faster than DiSibio for first place.

Next was the women's 200 butterfly, an event won by Bullock in a time of 1:58.92. Carr placed second in 2:04.48. Bullock also won the 100 fly in 55.60, while Currat (57.15) placed second and Miranda (58.08) third.

Dixon won the men's 200 fly, recording a 1:46.59 finish, nearly seven seconds faster than sophomore Gabe Swardson, who finished second for the Mountaineers. Russo led the way in the men's 100 fly, registering a first-place time of 51.02.

In the 50 free, Nilton placed first for the women in 24.13, while El Merini won for the men. The Marseille, France, native secured a time of 20.51. Neaveill and Damich went 2-3 in the event, earning times of 21.07 and 21.20, respectively.

After Nilton finished second in the women's 100 free, El Merini earned another victory for the men in 45.95. Then, Currat won the 200 backstroke for the WVU women, touching the wall in 2:00.59, ahead of VanNetta's second-place time of 2:05.65. Hene led the men with a winning time of 1:50.38.

Bullock picked up her third individual win of the day in the women's 200 IM. The Zeeland, Michigan, native won in 2:02.73, before Dixon claimed another win in the men's race in 1:50.88.

Swimming events wrapped up with the 400 freestyle relays. The WVU women, led by Gursoy, Miranda, Currat and Nilton, won in a time of 3:32.33. The men's team also tasted victory as the team of Damich, Kelly, Neaveill and El Merini combined to win in a time of 3:05.48.

On springboard, junior Averly Hobbs won on 1-meter for the Mountaineer women, posting a score of 276.45, ahead of freshman Callie Smith, who was second with an NCAA Zone 'A' qualifying score of 270.15. Junior Julia Calcut finished third with a 256.50 mark.

Junior Madelyn Woods won on women's 3-meter, collecting a score of 303.68. Calcut (271.13) and Smith (259.96) finished second and third, respectively.

For the men, senior Michael Proietto led the way on both boards, winning 1-meter with a score of 361.27 and 3-meter with a 355.87. Senior Logan McHenry (326.39) placed second on 1-meter for the Mountaineers, while freshman Caleb Keck was third on 3-meter with a score of 299.40.

"It was a great day for our divers," WVU diving coach Michael Grapner said. "The women all came out strong and focused on accomplishing their goals. Each of the girls contributed all that they could to help the team to a victory. It was great to see Maddy (Woods) break 300 on 3-meter and Callie Smith qualify for Zones on 1-meter.

"The men had a good day as well. Mike continues to be consistent on 1- and 3-meters; he was just a few points from another 1-meter record. Logan is just coming off an injury and made his return today. This meet is a great precursor for preparation for Big 12s."

The Mountaineers will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 18, as WVU hosts rival Pitt at the WVU Natatorium. The Backyard Brawl begins with diving events at 4 p.m., with swimming beginning at 5 p.m.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.