WVU Returns to the Road at Villanova
October 26, 2018 03:52 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Fresh off its first dual-meet wins of the season, the West Virginia University swimming and diving teams travel to Villanova, Pennsylvania, for a nonconference dual meet against Villanova on Saturday, Oct. 27.
The meet is set to begin with diving events at 9:30 a.m. ET, at the Villanova Swim Complex, with swimming events immediately scheduled to follow.
"We're coming off a really good weekend, and any time you're at home, you hope that you can get some pretty good performances, and we did," WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "Now, we get to travel again, which presents its challenges. But we're very familiar with (Villanova coach) Rick (Simpson) and his program, and we know they are going to be prepared for it. It's their first dual meet, so they'll be ready to race. We'll need to bring the same kind of energy that we had last weekend."
Saturday marks the fifth consecutive season West Virginia takes on Villanova and the third straight competition weekend for the Mountaineers. Last year, the Mountaineer men topped the Wildcats, 229-69, while the women's team fell, 163-137.
WVU earned a sweep of Villanova the last time the two schools met in suburban Philadelphia on Jan. 28, 2017.
West Virginia swept Big East Conference foes Seton Hall and Xavier on Oct. 19-20, during its home-opening meet at the WVU Natatorium, in Morgantown. WVU won a combined 29 of 32 events at the two-day competition and featured multiple record-breaking performances.
Senior diver Averly Hobbs broke the school record on women's 1-meter with a winning score of 312.89, besting the previous WVU record by over 15 points. With the performance, the Littleton, Colorado, native was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday.
The Mountaineers also broke a pair of pool records at the meet, led by sophomore David Dixon's performance in the men's 200 butterfly. Dixon touched the wall in 1:43.81, topping his own WVU Natatorium record and recording the nation's best time in the event this season. The Richmond, Virginia, native also helped the men's 200 medley relay team, also comprised of sophomore Angelo Russo, redshirt senior Tristen Di Sibio and senior Merwane El Merini, earn a pool-record time of 1:28.77.
Additionally, junior Morgan Bullock, freshman Lauryn Kallay and Dixon won a team-best three individual events at the meet.
The WVU men (2-0) took down Seton Hall, 235-64, and Xavier, 241-52, while the women's team (2-0) topped the Pirates, 217-82, and the Musketeers, 199.5-93.5. The wins marked the fourth consecutive year the Mountaineers swept the two opponents.
Following the meet, the Mountaineer men's team received a vote in the latest College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) TYR Top 25 Dual Meet Poll, which was released on Tuesday.
The Wildcats are led by 19th-year coach Rick Simpson. Villanova is coming off a 2017-18 season that saw the women's team capture its fifth consecutive Big East Championship. The Wildcat women finished the year with a 12-2 dual-meet record, while the men's team finished 3-9.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The meet is set to begin with diving events at 9:30 a.m. ET, at the Villanova Swim Complex, with swimming events immediately scheduled to follow.
"We're coming off a really good weekend, and any time you're at home, you hope that you can get some pretty good performances, and we did," WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "Now, we get to travel again, which presents its challenges. But we're very familiar with (Villanova coach) Rick (Simpson) and his program, and we know they are going to be prepared for it. It's their first dual meet, so they'll be ready to race. We'll need to bring the same kind of energy that we had last weekend."
Saturday marks the fifth consecutive season West Virginia takes on Villanova and the third straight competition weekend for the Mountaineers. Last year, the Mountaineer men topped the Wildcats, 229-69, while the women's team fell, 163-137.
WVU earned a sweep of Villanova the last time the two schools met in suburban Philadelphia on Jan. 28, 2017.
West Virginia swept Big East Conference foes Seton Hall and Xavier on Oct. 19-20, during its home-opening meet at the WVU Natatorium, in Morgantown. WVU won a combined 29 of 32 events at the two-day competition and featured multiple record-breaking performances.
Senior diver Averly Hobbs broke the school record on women's 1-meter with a winning score of 312.89, besting the previous WVU record by over 15 points. With the performance, the Littleton, Colorado, native was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday.
The Mountaineers also broke a pair of pool records at the meet, led by sophomore David Dixon's performance in the men's 200 butterfly. Dixon touched the wall in 1:43.81, topping his own WVU Natatorium record and recording the nation's best time in the event this season. The Richmond, Virginia, native also helped the men's 200 medley relay team, also comprised of sophomore Angelo Russo, redshirt senior Tristen Di Sibio and senior Merwane El Merini, earn a pool-record time of 1:28.77.
Additionally, junior Morgan Bullock, freshman Lauryn Kallay and Dixon won a team-best three individual events at the meet.
The WVU men (2-0) took down Seton Hall, 235-64, and Xavier, 241-52, while the women's team (2-0) topped the Pirates, 217-82, and the Musketeers, 199.5-93.5. The wins marked the fourth consecutive year the Mountaineers swept the two opponents.
Following the meet, the Mountaineer men's team received a vote in the latest College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) TYR Top 25 Dual Meet Poll, which was released on Tuesday.
The Wildcats are led by 19th-year coach Rick Simpson. Villanova is coming off a 2017-18 season that saw the women's team capture its fifth consecutive Big East Championship. The Wildcat women finished the year with a 12-2 dual-meet record, while the men's team finished 3-9.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Fly/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Fly/Breast
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Free/Back
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Back/Fly
/ Men's Swimming & DivingSWIM: Paper Airplane Competition
Wednesday, February 11
SWIM: Villanova/Duquesne Recap
Monday, January 26
SWIM: 50 Freestyle Race with a Twist
Wednesday, December 10
SWIM: Loyola (Md.) Recap
Wednesday, November 05
