West Virginia State Games
- Saturday, November 2, 2019
- Morgantown, West Virginia
- Results
Courtesy: West Virginia Athletics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams kept up the momentum as the two squads cruised to victory at the West Virginia State Games on Saturday in Morgantown.
On the second day of competition, WVU combined to win 19 of 20 events at the team’s new home at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park. The Mountaineers completed the venue’s first official competition in style, winning by a two-day total of 3,238.5 team points.
The women’s team tallied 1,402 points after posting victories in all but two events, while the men contributed 1,836.5 points and were victorious in all 19 races.
“This weekend was awesome,” Mountaineer coach Vic Riggs said. “It was everything we were hoping it would be. We swam very well. I think there are areas we can continue to improve upon, but the energy from the teams was great. Having the chance to get in the water and finally compete in here was really fun.
“The teams had an opportunity to really support each other, and their energy was great. The atmosphere in here really reflected in how they performed in the pool and on the boards.”
“Today was another great day for the divers,” diving coach Michael Grapner said. “This meet sets the foundation for improvement as we climb the mountain this season. I’m really happy with where we are as a team, and I look forward to watching the growth of some of these young divers.”
Senior Morgan Bullock paced the Mountaineer women with seven total wins on the weekend, as she picked up three individual victories and four relay wins. For the men, junior David Dixon led the way with six wins, including four individual and two relays. Twenty-one different Mountaineers tallied victories over the course of the two-day meet.
The Mountaineers picked up where they left off Friday night, opening Saturday’s session with two victories in the 400-yard medley relay. Junior Ally VanNetta, freshman Mathilde Kaelbel, Bullock and senior Julia Nilton grabbed the win for the women (3:52.34), while junior Angelo Russo, sophomore Fausto Huerta, Dixon and freshman Hunter Armstrong won the men’s race in 3:18.87.
Freshman Emily Haimes picked up a win in the women’s 100-yard freestyle. She touched the wall in 52.14 to claim her first individual and third overall victory of the weekend. Gursoy was third with a time of 53.61.
Another freshman victory came in the men’s race, as Armstrong claimed first in 44.64, ahead of juniors Ryen van Wyk and Christopher O’Shea in second (45.85) and third (47.50), respectively. The Mountaineers captured the top six slots in the event.
Senior Alex Pampalone placed second in the 200 backstroke, finishing with a time of 2:07.35. Saladin grabbed the victory on the men’s side with a time of 1:50.17.
The women’s squad jumped back into the wins category in the 200 breaststroke, though, as freshman Mathilde Kaelbel topped the leaderboard with a time of 2:21.79. Classmate Tatum Peyerl was third (2:22.97).
Huerta led the charge for a 1-2-3 WVU finish in the men’s 200 breast, as he posted a time of 2:07.10. Behind Huerta were senior Jack Portmann (2:07.38) and freshman Jonathan Bennett (2:09.00).
Endurance was key in the 500-yard free, and WVU proved its strength as both squads completed a 1-2-3 finish in each event. Sophomore Lauryn Kallay led the women with a 5:06.04, followed by Gursoy (5:10.23) and Pampalone (5:12.05). Saladin paced the men’s race, tallying a time of 4:35.15, ahead of junior Max Gustafson (4:42.39) and freshman Zach Boley (4:42.72)
On springboard, freshman Holly Darling collected her second win of the weekend with a score of 279.89. Junior Callie Smith finished second (260.48) and freshman Marian Tiemeier took third (239.10). Redshirt sophomore Jacob Cardinal Tremblay topped the leaderboard for the men, posting a score of 294.08, ahead of sophomore Nick Cover in second (282.83).
In the first home platform event for WVU in program history, Smith tallied her first win of the weekend with a final score of 201.00, ahead of Darling in second (191.33) and Tiemeier in third (168.60). Cardinal Tremblay grabbed his second win of the day on the men’s side with a score of 263.25, while redshirt senior Austin Smith placed second (245.48).
Back in the competition pool, Bullock came away victorious for the women in the 100-yard butterfly (56.49), while Dixon grabbed the win for the men (48.31). The WVU men’s team claimed the top 10 finishes in the event, as Russo took second (49.11) and O’Shea took third (50.88).
The 200-yard individual medley provided back-to-back victories for Bullock and Dixon. Bullock finished in 2:05.23 in the women’s race, while Dixon touched the wall in 1:50.15 on the men’s side.
Saturday’s competition concluded with the 200 free relays, where WVU placed two more tallies in the wins category. Nilton, Haimes, Gursoy and Bullock grabbed the victory for the women (1:35.94), while Armstrong, van Wyk, senior Sam Neaveill and Dixon combined to win for the men.
WVU has now reigned victorious at the West Virginia State Games in each of its nine seasons. The men have won the event every year, while the women have been defeated only once.
The Mountaineers return to action from Nov. 21-23, as they host the first-ever WVU Invitational at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park. Ten teams from around country will travel to Morgantown to compete in the three-day event.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.