Rutgers University
Northwestern
Swimming and Diving Concludes Tri-Meet with Illinois, Northwestern
Oct 29 | Women's Swimming & Diving
EVANSTON, Ill. - Rutgers swimming and diving produced five event titles during its tri-meet with Illinois and Northwestern Saturday afternoon at the Norris Aquatic Center in Evanston, Illinois. It marked the second meet in less than 24 hours for the Scarlet Knights, who competed against Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame and Purdue Friday night in South Bend, Indiana.
In team action, RU fell to both the Fighting Illini (168-132) and the Wildcats (187-113). In total, Rutgers had five top marks and top-three finishes in 11 of 16 events to conclude its challenging weekend road swing.
"Today was definitely one of the most challenging things we have done together as a team," said head coach Petra Martin. "Experiencing this now is important for our growth and performance at the end of the season. We are focused on the process and gelling things together as a group so that we can peak at the right time. After some very tough doubles or triples and with the meet the night before, we still witnessed some great things."
The Scarlet Knights started the meet strong when it produced a first-place result in the 400 medley relay. Sophomore Vera Koprivova, senior Rachel Stoddard, sophomore Francesca Stoppa and freshman Alexandra Fabugais-Inaba combined for a top mark of 3:47.03 to win the event.
In individual action, Stoddard had two top-two results, including her first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.91. The Hillsborough, New Jersey, native also placed second in the 200 breaststroke with a mark of 2:19.49.
Continuing her strong weekend in the pool, Stoppa hit the wall first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.11. Her result of 2:02.90 in the 200 butterfly was good for third. Koprivova collected the other first-place time in the pool for Rutgers with 2:00.89 finish in the 200 backstroke.
Off the boards, junior Addison Walkowiak collected her second 1-meter diving title in as many tries. The Ballston Spa, New York, native recorded a mark of 300.55 to win the event, while senior Alyssa Black placed right behind in second with a score of 295.25. Black also finished second in the 3-meter dive with her 322.40 performance. Walkowiak placed third in the 3-meter dive with a total score of 313.25.
Other notable performances for RU included a second-place result of 1:51.30 in the 200 freestyle by Fabugais-Inaba. Senior Meghan Kiely and freshman Vanessa Ruiz finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 50 freestyle. Rutgers closed out the meet with a third-place showing in the 200 freestyle relay, as Ruiz, Kiely and rookies Meghan Moses and Clare Lawlor recorded a time of 1:37.43.
"Vera's 200 back at the end of today looked very strong and confident, while Rachel and the divers showed a lot of fight," Martin said. "Francesca stepped up in the 100 fly. Alex did a great job with her shorter events and our sprint crew showed some teeth as well. We have a lot of work to do, but I feel good about the steps we are taking."
The Scarlet Knights return home for its next meet, as RU hosts Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova at the RU Aquatics Center on Friday, Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 5. At 9 a.m.
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