BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Feb. 23, 2019) – Seniors Vera Koprivova and Francesca Stoppa capped a historic Big Ten Championships weekend for Rutgers swimming and diving with bronze medals during the final session on Saturday at Indiana's Councilman Billingsly Aquatic Center.
 
One night after earning the program's first Big Ten swimming medal, Koprivova cemented her legacy by becoming Rutgers' first two-time medalist. The senior placed third in the 200-yard backstroke championship finals in 1:52.60.
 
Stoppa claimed her first Big Ten medal with a bronze performance in the 200-yard butterfly championship final in 1:55.99. Stoppa finished fourth in the same event two years in a row before finally breaking through in her final conference championship meet.
 
Freshman Terka Grusova joined Koprivova in the championship final of the 200 Back, placing seventh in 1:55.85. Her podium finish, along with the Koprivova and Stoppa's bronze medals, gave Rutgers swimming and diving seven for the championship meet, a program-best mark since joining the conference in 2014-15.
 
Overall, the Scarlet Knights finished 11^th with 392 points, close behind Iowa's 400.5 and Penn State's 404. Indiana claimed the women's Big Ten title with 1,386 points.
 
Junior Federica Greco wrapped up a successful championship weekend with a 12^th place finish in the 200 Fly at 1:57.82, scoring 15 points for the Scarlet Knights. She qualified for the consolation finals earlier on Saturday with a time of 1:58.14.
 
Freshman Kasja Dymek missed her first finals invitation by 0.12 seconds in the 200 Fly. Her time of 2:00.77 placed 25^th in the conference.
 
While the swimmers await NCAA Championships bids, four Rutgers divers will take on the NCAA Zone A Championships on March 11-13 in Annapolis, Maryland - Marin Bloise (3-meter), Lauren Boone (3-meter), Rachel Byrne (1- & 3-meter) and Jenna Douglass (1-meter).
 
 
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