Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University swimming & diving team concluded the Richmond Duals Saturday in Hampton, Va., to open its 2023-24 season, dropping a 196-101 decision to Davidson at the Hampton Virginia Aquaplex.
"Given the size of the team we took to Virginia, our mentality this weekend was to focus on being present as a team, race execution, competing on every lap and using each race as a learning opportunity," head coach
David Sheets said. "For the most part we achieved what we were working toward. As we move into a new week, we'll take what we learned, embrace the process of getting better and continue to work on the details that can help us move forward."
Freshman
Lexi Sundgren capped a solid weekend in her first NCAA Division I competition Saturday, taking home a trio of top three finishes. Having won the 200-yard freestyle Friday against George Mason, Sundgren did it again against the Wildcats, closing at 1:55.19. In the same event, senior
Molly Brennan finished third at 1:57.24.
Sundgren also garnered bronze in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.72 seconds as well as silver in the 100-yard freestyle (53.45).
Junior
Haley Scholer earned a pair of first-place finishes against Davidson, winning both the 100-yard (56.81) and 200-yard (2:06.06) backstroke. She also finished second in the 400-yard IM, hitting the wall at 4:36.36.
Sophomore
Ashley Felitsky, meanwhile, added another pair of top marks in the dives. In the one-meter she registered a score of 230.20, while in the three-meter she finished at 237.05.
"We're really proud of the divers and their performance this weekend," Duquesne assistant diving coach
Amy Read said. "Going into the first meet is always a challenge and, other than some nerves, I think they did great. They all looked strong and, more importantly, we are in an amazing starting position to keep building. I'm definitely excited for what the season has to offer."
Elsewhere in the freestyle events, junior
Orla Egan finished second in both the 500-yard and 1,650. She posted a time of 5:16.23 in the 500 while clocking in at 17:46.70 in the 1,650. Elsewhere in the 500-yard freestyle, sophomore
Aislinn Mooney claimed fourth at 5:19.27.
In the 100-yard butterfly, freshman
Julia Sobun made her NCAA Division I debut, earning bronze thanks to a time of 59.23 seconds, while sophomore
Claudia Rzeznik posted a time of 2:15.67 in the 200-yard butterfly to claim fourth.
Sophomore
Sydney Severini narrowly missed out on gold in the 200-yard breaststroke, clocking in at 2:22.86 to earn second. Anna Newman of the Wildcats finished first with a time of 2:22.53. Severini also finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.17.
The Dukes return to the water Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, by taking part in the George Mason Invite in Fairfax, Va.
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