West Virginia, Cincinnati Split Two-Day Big 12 Matchup
The West Virginia swimming and diving program hosted Big 12 rival Cincinnati as well as Delaware for intercollegiate action Friday and Saturday. The home team defeated Cincinnati in the men’s meet by a tight margin, 181-172, while the Cincinnati women won 225.5-127.5. Both teams swept their meets against Delaware, West Virginia winning 235-118 (women) and 267-86 (men) and Cincinnati 240-113 (women) and 249-104 (men).
West Virginia’s men opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay. Szymon Mieczkowski, Deividas Timinskas, Dragos Ghile and Jin Rossi swam a time of 1:26.90 to defeat the top Delaware team by 0.11. Mieczkowski added a top finish in the 100 backstroke (46.56), and he later won the 200-yard event (1:43.07).
Roman Torres secured the Mountaineers’ first individual win with a time of 47.07 in the 100 butterfly, and Jake Salcedo won the 500 free in 4:23.85 as WVU finished 1-2-3-4. Emre Zeytinoglu, Parker Sterlitz and Jay Hickman rounded out the sweep. Salcedo returned to take the top spot in the 1000 free at 9:07.43, with Zeytinoglu and Hickman placing 2-3. Levi Hellman was the winner of 3-meter diving (356.70) as well as 1-meter (348.25).
For Cincinnati, Kyle Bumgardner topped the 400 IM in 3:48.60, and he later won the 100 breaststroke in 53.70, with teammate Connor Bennett (53.84) just behind for a 1-2 finish. Owen Chiles came through in the 200 free (1:36.54), and he added a top finish in the 50 free in 19.97. The team of Chiles, Luke Van Deusen, Hayden Hall and Conner Hogan captured first in the 400 free relay in 2:55.36.
Sawyer Tapp, Bumgardner, Chiles and Van Deusen placed first in the 400 medley relay in 3:10.36. Chiles almost single-handedly gave his team a chance down the stretch, picking up another win in the 200 IM (1:46.15) with Bumgardner placing second (1:48.28) and then winning the 100 free in 43.75. Bumgardner got to the wall first in the 200 breast in 1:56.10. To conclude the meet, Chiles, Hogan, Tapp and Van Deusen edged out the top WVU team in the 200 free relay by seven hundredths, 1:20.08 to 1:20.15.
Delaware’s lone win for the men came in the 200 fly, where Grady Redding came in at 1:44.85.
Cincinnati’s women, meanwhile, received a dominant performance by Lindi Worrell in the winning effort. The team of Danielle Asiata, Worrell, Kate Mardis and Alexis Schmidt won the 200 medley relay by almost three seconds in 1:37.69. That same foursome later won the 400 medley relay in 3:37.20. Worrell then dominated her individual races, winning the 100 breast (59.71), 100 free (49.54) and 200 breast (2:14.37).
Taira Vroom, Worrell, Mardis and Schmidt combined for a winning time of 3:20.57 in the 400 free relay while Schmidtt, Mardis, Worrell and Madison Damper swam a time of 1:31.64 for first in the 200 free relay.
Libby Michel of the Bearcats topped the 400 IM in 4:16.62, and Schmidt was first in the 50 free (22.93). McKenzie Jenny led the way in the 500 free in 4:54.73, with teammate Vroom just behind (4:55.37), and Jenny added another win in the 1000 free in 10:01.85. Asiata topped the 100 back (54.53), and diver Maria Colombo won 1-meter (293.35) and 3-meter (274.80).
Asiata won again in the 200 IM, going 2:01.51 to lead a 1-2-3 finish with Michel and Macartney Mahler. Mahler then moved up to first place in the 200 fly, touching in 1:58.95.
West Virginia’s Rowan Baglole dominated the 200 free with a time of 1:46.40, and Evelyn Quick followed up with a 52.74 in the 100 fly, winning by more than a second. Madalyn Witt placed first in the 200 back in 1:58.67, with teammate Delaney Cox second.
