The Massachusetts swimming and diving teams will face St. John’s for the last time Saturday, as they host a Red Storm squad whose program will be eliminated at the end of this season.
The Minutemen (2-0) will look to remain unbeaten as they face the Red Storm, who finished last season fifth in the Big East.
“John Scudin [St John’s men’s coach] is an old friend, and it’s unfortunate that this is the last times our teams will meet,” men’s coach Russ Yarworth said. “They have a ton of talent and a full complement of scholarships, so we’ll have to swim our best to stick with them.”
The Red Storm have been victorious the last three meetings.
UMass junior Dylan Smith will be looked upon to lead the Minutemen to their third consecutive victory. Smith received Atlantic 10 Swimmer of the Week accolades Nov. 13, following an impressive performance against Boston University Nov. 4.
A mid-distance swimmer, Smith won four events for the Maroon and White, including victories in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.20) and 200-yard backstroke (1:59.60). Smith went on to take top honors in the 100-yard butterfly (52.33), and anchor the winning 200-yard medley relay team.
Smith’s team-high six victories have helped keep UMass on target to win its fourth consecutive A-10 title.
“Dylan knows what he has to do; this is a young team that needs everyone to raise their game,” Yarworth said. “He’s an extremely versatile swimmer who won a race doing the fly, back and free. He’s in great shape, so he can swim just about any stroke we need.”
Upon receiving conference honors, Smith stepped into the limelight previously held by freshman teammate Greg Chartier, who was named last week’s A-10 Co-Rookie of the Week.
Chartier began the season by winning the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:13.59 in the Husky Invitational, Oct. 18. He then went on to a 200-yard freestyle victory, Oct. 25 at New Hampshire, with a time of 1:45.44. In the latest meet against BU, Chartier placed first in three events: the 200-yard IM (1:57.16), 500-yard free (4:46.95), and 1000-yard free (9:52.66).
On the women’s side, Massachusetts (1-1) will try for its second consecutive win against a Red Storm team that finished eleventh in the Big East last season.
Sophomore Aimee Bourassa has emerged as the leading Minutewomen scorer, recording four victories in two meets.
Bourassa finished first in the 500-yard free and 200-yard IM at New Hampshire, with times of 5:15.13 and 2:11.64, respectively. Against BU, Bourassa swam to first-place finishes in the 500 and 1000-yard freestyle, with times of 5:16.81 and 10:50.07, respectively.
“Aimee has been a major factor in our success; she’s a versatile swimmer that works hard at every stroke,” women’s coach Bob Newcomb said. “We have a young team, and so far everyone is doing their part against BU. We started the meet by winning a relay race [in which] all three captains swam a leg.”
Senior Tri-captains Diana Alberti, Christen Dexter and Lauren Rowel have teamed up with freshman Nicole LeBarge to lead an undefeated 200-yard medley relay team.
Newcomb aims to avoid any distractions associated with Saturday’s race, but will not deny a personal significance.
“We’ve had some great meets with [St. Johns] over the years, they’ve been a solid team and a lot of the races have come down to the last relay,” Newcomb said. “I’m sorry that we will be loosing the competition.”
The meet will start Saturday at 1 p.m. in Boyden Gymnasium.
