Saturday, January 25
Morgantown, W.Va.
11:00 a.m.
West Virginia University
167
vs
133
Iowa State
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Relay Wins Lead WVU Over ISU
January 25, 2020 03:30 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A pair of thrilling relay wins lifted the West Virginia University women's swimming and diving team (2-2, 2-0 Big 12) over Iowa State on Saturday afternoon, at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park.
The Mountaineers topped the Cyclones by a score of 167-133 and collected 14 of 16 event victories, including both relay races. Senior Morgan Bullock paced WVU with four total victories, including three solo wins. Freshman Emily Haimes also picked up multiple solo victories, while freshman Holly Darling earned a sweep of events in the diving well.
"It's always good to get a conference win," WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "We knew it was going to be a really big challenge, especially coming off our meet last weekend. This is the first of three meets in seven days for us, so this was important. We talked a lot about preparing ourselves correctly and getting ourselves ready, and their energy was great today. We had a lot of kids step up to get a couple points here and there that were really pivotal in helping us win. The divers again did a phenomenal job on the boards, and it was just really nice to get a win."
Saturday's meet began with some excitement in the 200-yard medley relay, as the team of junior Ally VanNetta, freshman Mathilde Kaelbel, Bullock and senior Julia Nilton pulled away with a come-from-behind win. A 50 freestyle split of 22.77 from Nilton helped the team move in front of Iowa State, touching the wall in 1:44.69
In the next event, the 1,000 freestyle, senior Alex Pampalone grabbed second place with a time of 10:35.85. Junior Giselle Gursoy and VanNetta then added two more wins for WVU in the 200 free (1:53.54) and 100 backstroke (56.51), respectively.
West Virginia collected another pair of wins just before the first break of the day, as Bullock took first place in the 200 butterfly in 2:03.41 and Haimes captured the top spot in the 50 free (23.45).
In the diving well, Darling again paced the West Virginia divers, collecting victories on 1- and 3-meter springboards. Darling tallied NCAA Zones-qualifying scores on both boards to take the victories, earning marks of 297.90 on 3-meter and 276.23 on 1-meter.
Sophomore Camille Burt grabbed second place on 1- and 3-meter against the Cyclones, tallying a score of 287.55 on 3-meter and 273.23 on 1-meter. Burt's totals also were NCAA Zones-qualifying scores.
"Today was a great demonstration of team and pride on both the swimming and diving sides," diving coach Michael Grapner said. "I think the divers could hear the energy in the crowd and on the swimming side, so it helped propel them on the boards. I'm hopeful that this win today can help motivate us and set the standard for the divers as we move into the last two meets of the season, the Big 12 Championship and the NCAA Zone Diving Championships."
Back in the competition pool, Haimes returned for her second victory of the day in the 100 free, touching the wall in 51.05. In the 200 back, it was a second-place finish for Pampalone in 2:05.04. Kaelbel then followed with her first solo win of the day in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.59).
Next, Gursoy finished in second place in the 500 free with a time of 5:03.81, followed by another victory for Bullock in the 100 fly (55.47). Bullock secured her fourth and final win of the afternoon in the 200 individual medley. The senior touched the pad in 2:05.77 to add another victory to the Mountaineers' win column.
The day concluded the same way it started, with a come-from-behind win for WVU in the 400 free relay. The team of Nilton, Gursoy, Bliss and Haimes was just behind Iowa State's team until Haimes hit the water to put the Mountaineers in the lead. The team combined to finish in 3:30.55 to secure the victory.
With Saturday's win, WVU moves to 2-2 in dual meets this season, as well as 2-0 in Big 12 action.
Coming up next, the Mountaineers are set to compete in a pair of dual meets to complete the regular season. On Thursday, Jan. 30, Villanova comes to town for a mid-week dual, beginning at 2 p.m. ET, at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park. On Saturday, Feb. 1, WVU closes the regular season against George Washington, with action at the Aquatic Center set to begin at 11 a.m. ET. West Virginia also will honor its 15 senior members before the start of the meet against George Washington.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Mountaineers topped the Cyclones by a score of 167-133 and collected 14 of 16 event victories, including both relay races. Senior Morgan Bullock paced WVU with four total victories, including three solo wins. Freshman Emily Haimes also picked up multiple solo victories, while freshman Holly Darling earned a sweep of events in the diving well.
"It's always good to get a conference win," WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "We knew it was going to be a really big challenge, especially coming off our meet last weekend. This is the first of three meets in seven days for us, so this was important. We talked a lot about preparing ourselves correctly and getting ourselves ready, and their energy was great today. We had a lot of kids step up to get a couple points here and there that were really pivotal in helping us win. The divers again did a phenomenal job on the boards, and it was just really nice to get a win."
Saturday's meet began with some excitement in the 200-yard medley relay, as the team of junior Ally VanNetta, freshman Mathilde Kaelbel, Bullock and senior Julia Nilton pulled away with a come-from-behind win. A 50 freestyle split of 22.77 from Nilton helped the team move in front of Iowa State, touching the wall in 1:44.69
In the next event, the 1,000 freestyle, senior Alex Pampalone grabbed second place with a time of 10:35.85. Junior Giselle Gursoy and VanNetta then added two more wins for WVU in the 200 free (1:53.54) and 100 backstroke (56.51), respectively.
West Virginia collected another pair of wins just before the first break of the day, as Bullock took first place in the 200 butterfly in 2:03.41 and Haimes captured the top spot in the 50 free (23.45).
In the diving well, Darling again paced the West Virginia divers, collecting victories on 1- and 3-meter springboards. Darling tallied NCAA Zones-qualifying scores on both boards to take the victories, earning marks of 297.90 on 3-meter and 276.23 on 1-meter.
Sophomore Camille Burt grabbed second place on 1- and 3-meter against the Cyclones, tallying a score of 287.55 on 3-meter and 273.23 on 1-meter. Burt's totals also were NCAA Zones-qualifying scores.
"Today was a great demonstration of team and pride on both the swimming and diving sides," diving coach Michael Grapner said. "I think the divers could hear the energy in the crowd and on the swimming side, so it helped propel them on the boards. I'm hopeful that this win today can help motivate us and set the standard for the divers as we move into the last two meets of the season, the Big 12 Championship and the NCAA Zone Diving Championships."
Back in the competition pool, Haimes returned for her second victory of the day in the 100 free, touching the wall in 51.05. In the 200 back, it was a second-place finish for Pampalone in 2:05.04. Kaelbel then followed with her first solo win of the day in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.59).
Next, Gursoy finished in second place in the 500 free with a time of 5:03.81, followed by another victory for Bullock in the 100 fly (55.47). Bullock secured her fourth and final win of the afternoon in the 200 individual medley. The senior touched the pad in 2:05.77 to add another victory to the Mountaineers' win column.
The day concluded the same way it started, with a come-from-behind win for WVU in the 400 free relay. The team of Nilton, Gursoy, Bliss and Haimes was just behind Iowa State's team until Haimes hit the water to put the Mountaineers in the lead. The team combined to finish in 3:30.55 to secure the victory.
With Saturday's win, WVU moves to 2-2 in dual meets this season, as well as 2-0 in Big 12 action.
Coming up next, the Mountaineers are set to compete in a pair of dual meets to complete the regular season. On Thursday, Jan. 30, Villanova comes to town for a mid-week dual, beginning at 2 p.m. ET, at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park. On Saturday, Feb. 1, WVU closes the regular season against George Washington, with action at the Aquatic Center set to begin at 11 a.m. ET. West Virginia also will honor its 15 senior members before the start of the meet against George Washington.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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Free
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Free/Fly
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Breast
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Free/Fly
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Free
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Free/Back/Fly
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