PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's swimming & diving team is on the road for the first time in 2022-23 traveling to Harvard on Friday, Nov. 4 and Northeastern on Saturday, Nov. 5.
 

LAST TIME IN THE WATER

• Rutgers captured its first-ever victory over Purdue with a 191-162 win over the Boilermakers.
• The Scarlet Knights won  12 of the two-day meet's 19 contests and totaled five new top 10 times/scores the Rutgers record book including graduate student Rachel Kimmel in the 100 breast (1:02.09) and 200 breast (2:15.83), graduate student Madison Murtagh in the 1000 free (10:06.21), freshman Martyna Piesko in the 200 back (1:59.48) and sophomore Holly Prasanto on 3-meter (316.95).
• Senior Sofia Chichaikina led the way with victories in the 50 free (23.45), 200 free (1:51.75), 200 fly (2:01.29) and with the 200 medley relay (1:42.02). Joining Chichaikina on the winning relay team were sophomore Sofia Maksimova, Piesko and fellow freshman Julia Bartoszewicz. 
• Other wins came from Murtagh in the 500 free (4:53.17), graduate student Alice Scarabelli in the 100 back (54.71) and Maksimova in the 100 fly (56.33).

LAST TIME AGAINST THE CRIMSON

• Harvard is the defending Ivy League Champion having claimed its 15^th league title and won three of the last four conference titles.
• The Crimson took last year's meet at the Rutgers Aquatics Center, 170-129, almost a year to the day.
• Sofia Chichaikina and Alice Scarabelli both helped Rutgers to a pair of relay and pair of individual event titles. Both Scarlet Knights gave RU victories with the 200 medley and 400 free relays. Chichaikina continued to shine in the free with wins in the 50 and 200. Scarabelli, meanwhile, picked up top times in the 100 back and 100 free.

AROUND THE BIG TEN

• Holly Prasanto's first-place score of 316.95 on 3M last weekend places her fifth in the Big Ten.
• Alice Scarabelli's first-place time of 54.71 against Purdue last weekend in the 100 back is sixth among league competitors.
• Rachel Kimmel, who won the 200 breast versus the Boilermakers clocking in at 2:15.83 for the eighth fastest time at RU, is currently seventh in the event in the Big Ten.
• Madison Murtagh's distance swims against the Boilermakers are among the top eight in the Big Ten. Her winning time of 4:53.17 in the 500 free is currently the eighth fastest time in the Big Ten, while her top time of 10:06.21, which is also the seventh fastest time in Rutgers history, is seventh in the league.

B1G AWARDS

• Freshman Martyna Piesko was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week on Nov. 2. She becomes the fourth Scarlet Knight to earn the rookie weekly award since Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014-15. The first-year Scarlet Knight won the 200 back with one of the top times at Rutgers, was a part of the winning 200 medley relay squad and was runner-up in four other events as she helped the Scarlet Knights to their first-ever victory over Purdue. Piesko won the 200 back in 1:59.48 marking the eighth fastest time in the Rutgers record book with a 3.31-second margin of victory. The time is currently the 11^th fastest in the Big Ten. The Lublin, Poland native also swam anchor on the 200 medley relay squad that won with a time of 1:43.02 The rookie also captured runner-up finishes in the 100 back in 55.70 and as a member of the 200 free relay (1:34.14), 400 free relay (3:26.94) and 400 medley relay (3:50.81). The 400 free relay was edged out of first place by .17 seconds.

LAST YEAR IN THE WATER

• Rutgers returns 16 letterwinners from last season including Big Ten Podium finishers Tina Celik (200 & 400 medley relay), Sofia Chichaikina (200 free, 400 & 800 free relay, 400 medley relay), Giulia Ghidini (200 & 800 free relay, 200 medley relay), Sofia Lobova (200 & 400 free relay, 200 & 400 medley relay), Alice Scarabelli (200 free, 200, 400 & 800 free relay, 200 & 400 medley relay), and Savana Trueb (3-meter).
• The Scarlet Knights fostered a deeper squad for the 2021-22 season after a covid-shorten 2020-21 campaign and continued to make huge strides in the water. Rutgers captured its highest Big Ten Championship finish since joining the Big Ten eight years ago and finished 26th at the NCAA Championships, the highest finish for the Scarlet Knights since 2006.
• Altogether the Scarlet Knights produced 10 podium finishes at the championships. Seven new Rutgers school records were established and 28 times/scores were recorded among the all-time top 10. Nine NCAA "B" cuts were collected, while six divers were sent to NCAA Zones. 
• On the boards, Rutgers sent two divers to the NCAA Championships producing an All-American with a finalist on platform and consolation round performer on 3-meter. At NCAA Zones, Savana Trueb was a runner-up on platform and finished third on 1-meter and fourth on 3-meter. 
• At the 2022 Big Ten Championships, the 800 freestyle relay reset the oldest record in the Rutgers history books breaking a 16-year record by 3.70 seconds. 
• The diving corps also made a splash with nine scores among the top 10, including resetting an eight-year-old platform record twice. 

SUMMER WITH THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

• Tina Celik swam to first place times in the 50 and 100 breast and 200 IM at the Borac Telegroup Grand Challenge in July while at the Slovenian Open Championship in August, had the top times in the 50 and 100 breast, was the runner-up in the 100 fly and placed third in the 50 fly.
• Savanna Trueb is a member of the USA Diving High Performance – Tier 3 Senior squad. The senior was slated to be on the US roster for the 2022 World University Games this summer before competition was postponed until 2023. Last December, Trueb took seventh on platform at the USA Diving Winter Nationals and at the USA Diving Open Championship in August placed seventh on platform and 16th on 3-meter.
• Rachel Kimmel won the 100 breast at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) Mid-Summer Classic to qualify for nationals. Her performance of 1:10.36 broke the 17-year-old pool record held by six-time Olympian and former 100-meter breast world record-holder Rebecca Soni. Soni also holds ties to Rutgers as the Freehold, New Jersey native swam club at the Sonny Werblin Aquatic Center with Scarlet Aquatics. Kimmel finished 18th at the Phillips 66 National Championships in July
• Holly Prasanto advanced to the Women's 1M Springboard final at the 2022 British Diving Championships in late May. She was among the top 10 divers and top eight British qualifiers to reach finals. During finals, Prasanto placed fourth among her countrywomen with a score of 238.05.
• The 2022 Italian Spring Championships in April saw Alice Scarabelli hit the wall as the runner-up in the A final of the 200 free and was 0.34 seconds behind champion Alice Mizzau, a 2012 Olympic qualifier. 

RSMART

• Rutgers women's swimming and diving has earned 17-straight College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American Team Awards.
• The Scarlet Knights boasted a 3.54 grade point average during the 2021-22 academic year, the third-best among Big Ten programs. Rutgers swimmers and divers collected eight 4.0 GPAs during the spring semester and 17 Scarlet Knights registered a grade point average above a 3.5 with 13 receiving Dean's List recognition. 
• Six Scarlet Knights were also bestowed CSCAA Scholar All-American distinctions including returning members Tina Celik, Sofia Chichaikina, Jenna Douglass and Alice Scarabelli. Each achieved a 3.5 grade point average or higher while collecting NCAA B cuts or advancing to NCAA Zone diving competition. 

UP NEXT

• Rutgers is back home for the annual Battle For The Cannon Trophy with in-state rival Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Rutgers Aquatics Center at noon.
• Admission is free.

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