PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's swimming and diving team ended regular season competition and sent its eight seniors out on a high note with a 181-172 victory over Nebraska at the Rutgers Aquatics Center.

 

FROM THE POOL DECK

• Sophomore Terka Grusova helped Rutgers to six of its eight event victories, including a win with the 400 free relay team that reset the pool record for a second-time this season and also rest the 100 back Rutgers Aquatics Center record with her opening lap and raced to the second fastest time in Rutgers history in the 200 IM.
• Grusova joined freshmen Giulia Ghidini, Elinah Phillip and Sofia Chichaikina in posting a time of 3:21.66 in the 400 free relay, marking the second time this season the Scarlet Knights have re-established the home pool record in the event.
• The 400 free relay squad bested the previous pool record by .02 seconds that was set by Chichaikina, Phillip, Ghidini and redshirt freshman Eleonora Trentin at the Rutgers Invitational earlier this season.
• The sophomore Scarlet Knights' leadoff with the back in the 400 medley relay also reset the 100 back pool record with a time of 52.95 surpassing the previous mark of 53.65 set by former teammate Vera Kopriovova in 2018.
• Additionally, Grusova was just over a second shy of setting a new Rutgers Aquatics Center record and just over two seconds short of a new Rutgers school record in the 200 IM.
• Grusova's other victories included the 100 and 200 back, as well as the 200 and 400 medley relay.
• Also in the 200 IM, Chichaikina was the runner-up logging the fifth fastest time at Rutgers.
• Chichaikina also captured a win for the Scarlet Knights in the 50 free.

 

SPRINTS

• In the 200 IM, Grusova posted not only a career best, but the second fastest time in Rutgers history with her 2:00.85 performance. Her swim was 1.03 seconds shy of the pool record and 2.39 seconds short of the school record.
• Chichaikina was the runner-up in the 200 IM and also recorded a career top time in the event with the fifth fastest Rutgers time of 2:01.77.
• Grusova also posted her ninth backstroke wins of the year with top times in the 100 and 200 back. She led the pack in the 200 back in 1:59.87 with classmate Simone Lusby in second in 2:02.54.  The 100 back saw her reach first in 54.72 with senior Alexandra Fabugais-Inaba following in 56.81.
• The Scarlet Knights dominated 50 free with the top three times all going freshmen. Chichaikina won the event in 23.36, followed by fellow rookie Phillp in 23.64 with redshirt freshman Eleanora Trentin coming in third with a season-best 23.70.
• Chichiakina had two additional runner-up swims clocking in at 50.31 with fellow first-year Phillip following in third in 50.85 in the 100 free, while taking second in the 200 free in 1:49.79.
• Francesca Bertotto also competed in the 200 breast with a career best finish of 2:18.55 in a second place finish.
• Freshman Aleksandra Ignatova recorded a runner-up placement in the 100 breast with a time of 1:04.05.
• Sophomore Kasja Dymek registered a second-place finish in the 100 fly in 55.82 and a third-place finish in the 200 fly hitting the wall in 2:03.91.

RELAYS

• The meet started off on Friday with the 200 medley relay squad racing to its best time thus far of the 2019-20 season. The quartet of Grusova, Ignatova, Dymek and Phillip captured a time of 1:50.57.
• The Rutgers "B" 200 medley relay team of sophomores Simone Lusby and Nora Woods and seniors Alexis Brewer and Meghan Moses clocked in at 1:44.37 to take third.
• Friday's action ended with a 1-2 finish for the Scarlet Knight 200 free relay teams. Chichiakina, Ghidini, Phillip and senior Clare Lawlor put together a top time of 1:32.48. Immediately behind the Scarlet Knight "A" group was the team of Trentin, Moses, Lizzy Zeller and Fabugais-Inaba combining to go 1:34.67 for second.
• Saturday kicked off with the 400 medley relay squad swimming to its best time of the season with Grusova, Ignatova, Dymek and Phillip registering 3:41.82.
• The group of Lusby, Wood, Brewer and Phillip, meanwhile, collected a time of 3:49.62 in the 400 medley relay to place third.
• The meet wrapped up the 400 free relay squad of Grusova, Ghidini, Phillip and Chichaikina swimming to a new pool best of 3:21.66 followed by Trentin, Lawlor, Moses and Zeller in third in a time of 3:28.21.

DISTANCE

• Senior Francesca Bertotto logged her top time of the season to date in the 500 free hitting the wall in 4:49.38 for second.
• Bertotto also finished second in the 1650 free with a time of 16:47.10.

DIVES

• Freshman Sam Blanc took second on both the 1-meter and 3-meter. On Friday on the 3-meter, she scored 289.88, while on Saturday she notched 261.89 on the 1-meter.
• Junior Lauren Boone came in third on the 1-meter with a score of 245.85.

MEET QUOTES

"They swam great and I'm really excited. We had a few best times and broke another pool record. It's really a testament to how much work they put in over training camp. They are in incredible shape. I think they are in the best shape they've been since I've been here. I think it gives them a lot of confidence going into Big Ten's." – Head swimming coach Jon Maccoll

"I'm real excited with how they looked. I'm seeing some things that I've been looking for all season. This is a perfect time to be seeing it. It's fantastic. They outdid results wise what we were preparing to have today and certainly helped the team to win today." – Head diving coach Frederick Woodruff

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

 

UP NEXT

• The Rutgers women's swimming & diving team prepares for the 2020 Big Ten Championships hosted by Iowa on February 19-22.

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