Rutgers Set To Host Harvard On Friday

Courtesy: Rutgers Athletics

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women’s swimming & diving team is back home at the Rutgers Aquatics Center to host Harvard at 6 p.m. on Friday.

In addition to competing at home for the first time since February of 2020, the Scarlet Knights will also be unveiling its new NCAA Championship banners honoring past national championship participants for both the men and women during the second break at approximately 7:30 p.m.

• Rutgers split its two meets last weekend on its trip to Indiana.
• The Scarlet Knights won eight events in its 175.5-122.5 setback to Purdue. Sofia Chichaikina and Alice Scarabelli each had three victories for the Scarlet Knights. Chichaikina led RU to wins to the 100 free and 200 fly, while Scarabelli swept the backstroke events. Both were key members of tight relays including helping the 400 free relay to the top time in the night’s final event. Also earning wins for Rutgers were Giulia Ghidini in the 200 free and Beatriz Zoppeidossantos in the 100 fly along with a 3M victory for Abigail Knapton.
• In the quick turnaround, the next day RU was triumphant over IUPUI, 179-115, with 10 victories, 10 runner-up performances and 11 third-place finishes. Off the blocks, Tina Celik, Alice Scarabelli and Beatriz Zoppeidossantos each captured two individual event victories with all three helping the 200 medley relay squad to victory. On the boards, RU dominated 3M with Abigail Knapton winning both 1M and 3M.

• Alice Scarabelli currently has the fifth-best time in the 200 back and eighth-best time in the 200 free in the Big Ten. She won the 200 back in a time of 1:59.51 last weekend at Purdue for a time that is also the seventh fastest in the Rutgers record book. Her time of 1:49.30 in taking first at Army in the 200 free at the time was the sixth-fastest in the country and is the eighth fastest in the Scarlet Knight record book.
• Sofia Chichiakina registered the fourth fastest 200 fly time in the conference at Purdue with a win in 2:00.93 marking the ninth-fastest time in the record book.

• Abigail Knapton was won two Big Ten Diver of the Week awards this season.
• She picked up her first honor the week of Oct. 13 scoring 309.53 on 1M and 333.45 on 3M breaking both the previous Crandall Pool benchmarks by 10.95 points in the season-opening victory at Army.
• Knapton earned her second distinction this week after winning three events last weekend on the road at Purdue and IUPUI. In RU’s first Big Ten competition of the year, Knapton won 3M scoring 329.85 and was 1.35 points short of also taking home the 1M title with a runner-up performance of 285.15 In the Scarlet Knights’ win at IUPUI the next day, Knapton won 1M scoring 303.83 and 3M scoring a season-best 344.33, which is also the third-best in Rutgers history and fourth-best score in the Big Ten.
• Knapton is the first Scarlet Knight diver to earn the honor since Addison Walkowiak in 2017.

• Cat Salladin took seventh at the women’s CSCAA Open Water National Championship on Sept. 17. A former member of the USA World Championship Open Water Team, Salladin was one of 70 women’s distance swimmers competing in the 5K course and one of four members of the Big Ten to finish among the top 10.
• The Scarlet Knight completed the course in 1:04.45.70 and was 12.10 off reaching the top five and earning an invite to the USA Swimming 5K Open Water Championships.

• Rutgers women’s swimming and diving has earned 15-straight College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American Team Awards.
• The Scarlet Knights boasted a 3.73 GPA last spring marking the 18^th-best GPA among Division I women’s swimming programs and second-best among Big Ten teams.
• Last season, the Scarlet Knights also boasted 17 Big Ten All-Academic honorees.

• Rutgers makes the short trip down Route 1 to meet Princeton in the “Battle For The Cannon Trophy” on Saturday, Nov. 13.

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