After claiming a victory last week at the three-team Colgate Fall Classic in New York, the Massachusetts swimming and diving team had another chance to shine in the Empire State this past weekend.
Facing off against a familiar foe in Army – UMass and the Black Knights meet each year – the men’s and women’s teams visited Crandall Pool at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York for their first dual meet of the season.
Coming off two first place finishes in a row, the Minutemen had their hopes set high on Friday but tasted defeat for the first time this year in a 187-120 loss.
While UMass didn’t get the outcome it desired, there were positives to take away from the meet.
Owen Wright performed well in the swimming portion of the competition for the Minutemen, placing second in both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events and fourth in the 100-meter individual medley.
In the 50-meter freestyle however, Wright finished just 0.26 seconds behind winner Chris Szekely of the Black Knights. It was the story of the day in the pool for UMass swimmers, who did not finish first in any of the meet’s events.
Other contributors for the men’s side were sophomore Oliver Wyeth, who took second in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 51.83 seconds, and senior Kyle Vieira, who placed third in the 1000-meter freestyle, beating teammate Alessandro Bomprezzi by about 0.02 seconds.
The Minutemen were more successful on the diving boards in Friday’s meet than in the pool, led by sophomore Trent Kindvall and junior Nolan Burns. Kindvall placed first in the one-meter event and second on the three-meter board, while Burns won the three-meter event and took second in the one-meter dive, giving UMass a one-two finish in both events.
Despite the efforts of Burns and Kindvall, the Minutemen couldn’t catch Army, as the Black Knights’ advantage in the pool was too much to overcome.
UMass looks to get back on track next Saturday at Boston University. The meet will begin at 1 p.m.
Minutewomen fall in first dual meet
Despite winning both diving events Friday, the UMass women’s team also fell to Army in its first dual meet of the year.
After winning the Colgate Fall Classic, the Minutewomen, like the men’s team, were hopeful heading into Crandall Pool Friday.
While the diving team lived up to their expectations, UMass swimmers struggled to find themselves atop the podium, which resulted in a lopsided final score of 191-120.
A strong point for the Minutewomen this season has been on the boards from a trio of divers. Sophomore Emma Roush, junior Julia Jagannath and freshman Katie Polk dominated the diving events, sweeping both the one-meter and three-meter dives.
Roush took first place in both events, while Jagannath finished second in the one-meter and third in the three-meter. Polk took home third place in the one-meter and second place in the three-meter, as UMass took the top three places in both events.
The Minutewomen’s divers will look to continue that success as the season progresses, but they will need help from their teammates in the pool.
Similar to the men, the women’s swimmers found themselves just shy in winning some key events, settling for second place finishes where they lost ground to the Black Knights.
Senior Jocelyn Yuen fell just short of a first place finish in the 100-meter individual medley and the 200-meter fly, narrowly finishing second in both events.
Freshman Steph Campo continued her success after a promising debut, posting a second place finish in the 1000-meter freestyle with a time of 10:33.40.
Meriza Werenkski, Jen Robeson and Rachel Grant all earned first-place finishes in other races, but it wasn’t enough as UMass was ultimately edged out in the pool by Army.
The Minutewomen will try to regain their form at home Saturday, when they take on Boston University at 1 p.m.
Ryan Donovan can be reached at [email protected]
