Swim & Dive Halts Huskers on Senior Day

Saturday, January 27

Piscataway, NJ

10 a.m.

Rutgers University

186

167

Nebraska

Jan 27 | Women's Swimming & Diving

Total Results

Scarlet Knights head into championship season with momentum of dual meet victory

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 27, 2018) – Rutgers swimming and diving heads into championship season with winning momentum following a 186-167 dual meet victory over Nebraska on Saturday at the Rutgers Aquatic Center.

The Scarlet Knights took six of 10 events on Saturday, bringing their total to 12 victories of a possible 19 against the Huskers, who were ranked one spot ahead of RU at No. 45 in the latest CollegeSwimming.com dual meet rankings.

"The team is feeling great after a victory," said co-head coach Jon Maccoll. "They had this one marked on the calendar all season, and they really executed and put down some fast times. It's impressive because they are very tired, and this is the toughest part of the season. But fast times when they're tired is going to lead to even faster times when they're rested, so this is a good sign for the Big Ten Championships."

The session began with a ceremony honoring the careers of the four members of the Class of 2018: Thomasin Lee, Larissa Neilan, Karli Rymer and Addison Walkowiak. Joined by family, coaches and support staff on deck, the seniors walked through a tunnel formed by their teammates before receiving flowers and being knighted by the armor-clad and sword-wielding Scarlet Knight.

#KNIGHTED

Congrats to Thomasin Lee, Larissa Neilan, Karli Rymer and Addison Walkowiak on their final home dual meet of their careers at RU. pic.twitter.com/q5NzDhiFvP
— RU Swimming & Diving (@RUSwimDive) January 27, 2018

Saturday's winning ways began in the first individual event, when freshman Sveva Schizzano claimed her first event victory as a Scarlet Knight in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:50.69. RU went 1-2 in the event as sophomore Francesca Bertotto was runner-up by 2.5 seconds over the third place finisher from Nebraska.

Welcome to Rutgers, Sveva Schizzano! The rookie wins her first collegiate event in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:50.69. pic.twitter.com/vkMYF6E6wm
— RU Swimming & Diving (@RUSwimDive) January 27, 2018

Meanwhile, Walkowiak was busy sweeping the dual meet diving events. She celebrated Senior Day with a win on the 1-meter boards with a score of 309.07, good for her 12^th event victory of the season. The RU divers hauled in big points in the dual, as junior Rachel Byrne and freshman Lauren Boone placed third and fourth respectively, and the group tallied 14 of the 19 available diving points on Saturday.

Sophomore Clare Lawlor was 2-for-2 in event wins this weekend, taking the 50-yard freestyle sprint in 23.90, her fastest time since a 22.85 at the Texas Invitational in November. Sophomore Sarah Davis was third in 24.48.

"It's Senior Day, so it's an emotional meet, and it was bittersweet to honor our awesome seniors," Lawlor said. "It made it all the better to get them a win today. We weren't well rested for this meet, so it was encouraging to see the energy levels where they needed to be to produce some wins and some quick times."

Junior Vera Koprivova increased the Scarlet Knights' lead by posting Rutgers' third straight win, a victory in the 100-yard backstroke in 55.95. Lawlor piled on the points by finishing second in 56.92.

Later, Koprivova won her third event of the weekend and 10^th of the season in the 400-yard individual medley, touching in at 4:25.38, just in front of sophomore teammate Federica Greco's 4:27.87.

Greco completed the butterfly sweep with a win in the 100 on Saturday, out-touching junior teammate Francesca Stoppa by 0.66 seconds as RU jumped ahead by 32 points.

It's now taper time for the Scarlet Knights with an eye on the Big Ten Championships from Feb. 14-17 in Columbus, Ohio. Tickets are on sale now here.

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers swimming & diving, follow the program on Twitter (@RUSwimDive) and on Instagram (ruswimdive). The team is also on Facebook (facebook.com/RUSwimDive).

- RU -