Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech swimming & diving teams dominated in their dual meets against the Kentucky men and the Richmond women on Saturday. Jessica Hespeler and Klaudia Nazieblo each won three individual events in the meet to lead the women, and Morgan Latimer and Collin Higgins led the men with two wins apiece.
The 12th-ranked H2Okie men beat Kentucky by a score of 186-114 and improved their dual-meet record to 8-1. The H2Okie women topped Richmond by a score of 184-104 and improved their dual-meet record to 7-2.
“It’s been a great two weeks of training,” head coach Ned Skinner said. “We’ve never swam faster or dove better in practice. It’s rewarding to see the camaraderie on the pool deck, knowing that they’re tired, and we want to build on this.”
Women’s Meet
The Tech women began the day in dominating fashion and never looked back. They took first and second in the 200 medley relay, clocking in at 1:42.81.
Hespeler then won two races in a row, taking the 1000 free in 10:18.32 and the 200 free in 1:52.54. Later in the meet, she won the 500 free with a time of 5:00.40.
Alongside Hespeler, Nazieblo was also stellar for Tech, winning three races of her own. She won the 100 back with a time of 55.47, the 200 back with a time of 2:03.67 and the 100 fly with a time of 55.08.
Also winning races for Tech were swimmers Veronika Paluszek (100 breast, 200 breast), Laura Schwartz (200 fly), Adriana Grabski (50 free, 100 free) and Fiona Donnelly (200 IM).
In the diving competition, Tech swept every event. In the 1-meter, Kelli Stockton finished with a score of 309.70. Ashley Buchter finished second, scoring 298.90, and Emma Villarreal finished third, scoring 285.35. For the 3-meter, Stockton picked up another win, scoring 357.70 with Buchter in second with a score of 327.00 and Villarreal in third with a score of 300.35.
In all, the H2Okie women finished first in every event of the day, securing top-three finishes in 10 out of the 16 events.
Men’s Meet
The men got off to a great start of their own, taking the top-two spots of the 400 medley relay to begin the day. Their winning team finished with a time of 3:19.08.
Higgins led the H2Okie men with two first-place finishes. He won the 100 back with a time of 49.01, and he won the 200 back with a time of 1:48.30.
Morgan Latimer also earned two top finishes. In the 100 free, he took first with a time of 45.77, and, in the 100 fly, he took first with a time of 49.19.
Tech also garnered first-place finishes from Owen Burns (200 free), Harrison Cefalo (100 breast), C.J. Fiala (50 free), Justin Edwards (200 breast) and Jake Ores (50 free).
In the diving events, Tech once again dominated. Jared Butts secured first-place by posting a 335.40 score in the 1-meter event. T.J. Shinholser was behind him in second with a score of 325.60, and Logan Stevens took third with a score of 323.15.
In the 3-meter, Butts earned another top finish, scoring 379.65. Mauro Castro-Silva finished second barely behind Butts with a score of 379.40, and Logan Stevens finished third only a few points behind at 373.35.
The Tech men finished the day with 10 first-place finishes en route to their eighth dual-meet win.
The H2Okies return to the pool next Friday when they travel to take on Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.