Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University swimming & diving concluded the A-10 Classic Saturday in Fairfax, Va., which was hosted by George Mason at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. The Dukes earned a pair of victories to win the competition, defeating the host Patriots, 188-164, while earning a 214-138 triumph over La Salle.
"Coach Eddie and I are extremely proud of the way the team competed this weekend," head coach
David Sheets said. "Swimming three sessions in less than 24 hours really showed how resilient this group is. Each time they stepped up behind the blocks they had the mindset of executing their race plans and focusing on the things they could control. We had some things to clean up after leaving Hampton two weeks ago and I think the ladies really took to trying to take the work we are doing and combine it with improving the finer details of their races. We'll get back to work Monday and begin preparing for the Fall Frenzy in Charlotte."
Competing in a pair of sessions Saturday, junior
Orla Egan claimed gold in the 400-yard intermediate in the morning as the Dukes took home three of the top four places. Egan navigated the water in a time of 4:34.64 to defeat Felicia Rogell of La Salle (4:38.43). Earning bronze was grad student
Madeline Marks at 4:41.02, while senior
Reagan Linkous finished fourth by touching the wall at 4:41.56.
Egan came back in the afternoon session to claim her second gold of the day, winning the 1,650-yard freestyle in a time of 17:56.70. She outlasted sophomore teammate
Aislinn Mooney, who finished with a time of 17:59.24.
Also claiming multiple victories Saturday for the Dukes was junior
Haley Scholer, including one in each session. In the 100-yard backstroke she finished first with a time of 57.04 seconds before earning a triumph in the 200-yard backstroke by touching the wall at 2:03.28. Scholer also earned silver in the 200-yard freestyle, closing at 1:54.32.
The 200-yard freestyle individual crown Saturday went to rookie
Lexi Sundgren, who posted a time of 1:53.63. Sundgren also swam the closing leg for Duquesne in the 400-yard medley that earned a time of 3:53.62 to finish second. That race was started by Scholer and also included sophomore
Sydney Severini and freshman
Julia Sobun.
Severini, meanwhile, won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.52, defeating Carlota Ungo Quero of La Salle, who claimed silver at 1:07.41. In the same competition, senior
Abby Mele finished fourth at 1:08.60, while Egan placed seventh with a time of 1:09.16.
On the boards, sophomore
Ashley Felitsky scored 236.60 points to win the one-meter dive as Duquesne had five of the top eight performers in the event. Junior
Julia Doolittle finished fourth (206.95), sophomore
Kendall Nigh (198.95) claimed sixth and junior
Morgan Doolittle (193.90) earned seventh. Freshman
Lydia Redd notched a score of 190.30 to finish eighth.
"We felt good on Friday starting with the three-meter," Duquesne head diving coach
Jeff Brown said. "
Morgan Doolittle led the group with a third-place finish and
Kendall Nigh also scored for the team with a fifth-place finish. The women sharpened things up Saturday morning, with
Ashley Felitsky winning one-meter and
Julia Doolittle picking up fourth. Having four different divers finish at the top shows their perseverance and how well-rounded this group is. I'm really proud of the effort this weekend."
Also in the water Saturday, Marks picked up silver for the Dukes in the 200-yard butterfly thanks to a time of 2:07.29. Senior
Molly Brennan, meanwhile, finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle at 1:56.63, giving Duquesne three of the top four performers in the event. Brennan also swam the second leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay that saw the Dukes finish second with a time of 3:32.65. Sundgren opened the relay, while Brennan was followed by senior
Gaby Jenkins and Scholer.
Duquesne returns to action Friday, Nov. 17, with the first of three days at the Fall Frenzy in Charlotte, N.C., which is hosted by Queens University. The diving team will head to Morgantown, W.Va., the same weekend, taking part in the WVU Diving Invitational.
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