PITTSBURGH - In the final tune-up before the 2020 Atlantic 10 Championship, the Duquesne swimming and diving team heads to Buffalo, N.Y. for a tri-meet against Mid-American Conference foes Buffalo and Akron on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. hosted by the Bulls at the Alumni Arena Natatorium. 

The two-time defending A-10 champion Dukes competed at the Western Pennsylvania Invitational hosted by Pitt at Trees Pool last weekend, posting a 4-1 record against local foes, highlighted by 10 top-five finishes across the two-day event.

Cateri Christinis (Charleroi, Pa. / Oakland Catholic) won the 1,000-yard freestyle at 10:36.26 for Duquesne while Summer Svitavsky (Willoughby, Ohio / Hawken) placed third in the event with a time of 10:46.45. Freshman Sidney O'Donnell (Solon, Ohio / Solon) paced both the 1-meter dive with a score of 279.75 and 3-meter dive at 287.45 for the Dukes. 

O'Donnell earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season after qualifying for the 2020 NCAA Zone A Diving Championships with her showing at the Western PA Invite, achieving new school records with those figures. In addition, O'Donnell's scores represent the top figures in both dives in the A-10 this season. 

The Dukes are seeking their first win over the Bulls and Zips. Akron is the MAC preseason favorite after capturing its sixth consecutive conference title in 2019. The Zips are coming off a third-place finish in Notre Dame's Shamrock Invitational last weekend, placing behind the host Fighting Irish and Ohio State, as well as in front of fourth-place Iowa. Buffalo defeated MAC opponent Toledo on the road last weekend. 

Live results for Saturday's meet will be available via the Meet Mobile app. 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
200 Medley Relay
800 Free
150 Free
50 Backstroke
50 Breaststroke
150 Butterfly
50 Free
1-meter Diving
100 IM
150 Backstroke
150 Breaststroke
400 Free
50 Butterfly
3-meter Diving
200 Free Relay