Pittsburgh, Pa. – Behind 10 first-place finishes, the Duquesne University swimming & diving team captured a 163-137 victory over Buffalo on Saturday morning inside Towers Pool.

Four different Dukes shined at the meet, each securing multiple gold medals in impressive fashion. Senior Orla Egan set the tone early, claiming the first gold of the day in the second event. She dominated the 1000-yard freestyle, touching the wall at 10:32.89, and followed up with another victory in the 500-yard freestyle, clocking in at 5:08.84. Freshman Sierra Snow also made her mark in the 1000 free, earning the bronze with a time of 10:45.78.

Freshman Jess Burn showcased her prowess in the breaststroke events, taking gold in both the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.04) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:23.88). Her classmate, Ashley Freel, delivered standout performances in the butterfly events, posting a time of 2:04.80 in the 200 fly and 57.09 in the 100 butterfly to secure top honors in both. Freel added to her medal haul with a bronze in the 200-yard IM (2:09.98).

Senior Haley Scholer added to the Dukes' success with a first-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke, clocking in at 2:03.45, and another gold in the 200 IM with a time of 2:06.66. Scholer also secured a silver medal in the 100 backstroke, recording a time of 56.59.

Sophomore Lexi Sundgren and freshman Kaitlyn Connors each grabbed a gold medal as well. Sundgren claimed the top spot in the 200-yard freestyle and added two bronze medals to her tally in the 100 free (54.22) and 500 free (5:12.34). Meanwhile, Connors sprinted to victory in the 50-yard freestyle, rounding out an exceptional performance for the team.

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"Matt and I were extremely happy with how the team came out and performed today," head coach David Sheets said. "It started with the 200-medley relay and we rolled from there. The team continued to bring the energy and enthusiasm we've been talking about and it showed in how we raced and how we supported each other. We will enjoy today and get back to training on Monday."

The Duquesne diving team showcased their skills in both the one-meter and three-meter events. Junior Ashley Felitsky led the way for the Dukes, earning 222.45 points to place seventh in the one-meter dive. She followed that with a strong performance in the three-meter dive, where she tallied 241.65 points to secure sixth place. Sophomore Lydia Redd also had solid outings, finishing ninth in the one-meter (199.45 points) and eighth in the three-meter (214.35 points).

On the swimming side, freshman Caitlin Horning delivered a standout performance in the 100 backstroke, taking third with a time of 58.88. Junior Sydney Severini claimed two silver medals, one in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.35) and another in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:24.45). Snow added to the medal count with a silver in the 200-yard backstroke.

The quartet of Haley Scholer, Sydney Severini, Ashley Freel, and Kaitlyn Connors secured silver in the 200-yard medley relay, touching the wall at 1:45.55. Closing out the day, the team of Orla Egan, sophomore Julia Sobun, Lexi Sundgren, and junior Katie Simpson earned silver in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:38.55, capping an impressive showing by the Dukes.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will be back in action next weekend when it holds a tri-meet against George Mason and Cleveland State on Saturday, Jan. 18 inside Towers Pool, beginning at 11:00 a.m. The diving team will take on the Patriots and Vikings on Friday, Jan. 17 with diving only at Carnegie Mellon, beginning at 5:00 p.m.