Men-
WASHINGTON – The George Washington men’s swimming and diving team defeated Howard in its 2015-16 season opener on Saturday afternoon.
The Colonials finished first in eight of 11 events and ultimately triumphed, 137-58, in the first competition under first-year head coach James Winchester.
“We’re really excited to start the season 1-0,” said Winchester. “It’s been seven good weeks in the water of hard training, and this was definitely a great opportunity to see what we could do in a race environment. A lot of credit has to go to our freshmen who put up a lot of wins today, as well as some of our upperclassmen.”
Freshman Josh Monacelli led the Colonials with four first-place performances on the day, helping two relay squads to victory while winning a pair of individual events.
GW swept a trio of relays on the day, opening the meet with a victory in the 200-yd medley relay with the team of sophomore Gustav Hokfelt, Monacelli and freshmen Nicolas Reeves and Alexander Auster. Sophomore Adam Druryand junior Ben Fitch joined Hokfelt and Auster to grab the win in the 200 freestyle relay, and Drury, Fitch, Monacelli, and freshman Patrick Lersch touched the wall first in the 400 free relay.
Individually, Monacelli won the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke, and Auster took second in the latter. Lersch also notched the first individual victory of his career, placing first in the 100 free before taking second in the 100 backstroke.
GW posted a clean sweep in the 200 free as junior Liam Huffman took first and was followed by Fitch and sophomore Jarvus Pennington.
In the 500 free, senior Oliver Keegan touched the wall first and was followed by sophomore Connor Hart.
Drury and Hokfelt placed second and third, respectively in the 50 free, and Fitch and Auster did the same in the 100 fly to round out the Colonials’ top finishes on the day.
“We’ve definitely got technical things to work on in the pool, but our spirit was definitely in a good place today,” said Winchester. “Coach Askew at Howard has done a great job – he had his kids prepared to race today. Heading into his second season, it’s clear that the program there is in great hands. I look forward to facing them again next year.”
Women-
WASHINGTON – The George Washington women’s swimming and diving team opened the 2015-16 season with a victory at Howard on Saturday. The meet marked the start of a new era under the direction of first-year head coachJames Winchester.
The Colonials claimed the victory, 136-57, and grabbed the top spot in all 11 events, led by junior Lauren Law’s four top finishes.
“We’re really excited to start the season 1-0,” said Coach Winchester. “A lot of credit has to go to our freshmen, who put up a lot of wins today – including Emily Zhang and Lucy Castro – as well as some of our upperclassmen like team captain Lauren Law, who really led by example.”
GW swept a trio of relays, as the team of senior Maggie Hofstadter, sophomores Abigail Fusco and Hannah Kopydlowski, and freshman Emily Zhang opened the meet with a victory in the 200-yd medley relay. Hofstadter and Zhang were then joined by Law and rookie Caroline Racke for a win in the 200 freestyle relay. Law, Fusco and seniors Kally Vanderbilt and Madison Reinker then closed the meet with the top finish in the 400 free relay.
Law also earned a pair of individual victories, in the 50 free and 100 butterfly with new personal bests of 24.92 and 58.39, respectively, while Kopydlowski chipped in top finishes in the 100 back and 200 individual medley. Hofstadter added a win in the 100 free to her relay success.
GW claimed the top three spots in the 200 free as senior Hannah Schaefer won the event, followed by Reinker and senior Emma Gaquin.
Freshmen Lucy Castro and Emily Zhang notched their first individual victories in the 500 free and 100 breaststroke, respectively. Reinker followed Castro in the 500 free for her final top-three finish of the day.
“Coach Askew at Howard has done a great job,” said Coach Winchester. “He had his kids prepared to race today. Heading into his second season, it’s clear that the program there is in great hands. I look forward to facing them again next year.”
The Colonials return to the pool on Saturday, Oct. 24, at UMBC for a 1 p.m. meet.
Swimming news courtesy of GWU Swimming & Diving.