Duquesne at WVU Invitational
Thursday, Nov. 20 to Saturday, Nov. 22
Morgantown, W.Va. | The Peak Health Aquatic Center at Mylan Park

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OFF THE STARTING BLOCK
- The Duquesne University swimming and diving team returns to action, when it travels to Morgantown, W.Va. to compete in the WVU Invitational inside the The Peak Health Aquatic Center at Mylan Park on Thursday, Nov. 20 through Saturday, Nov. 22. Prelims will begin at 10:00 a.m. on all three days while the finals begin at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Dukes will be one of six teams competing in the three-day event, joining Drexel, Georgetown, Toledo, William & Mary, and the host Mountaineers.

- The swimmers are coming off its first home meet of the season, where they defeated Saint Peter's, 146-103 while celebrating Alumni Weekend (Nov. 8). The divers competed in the Clarion Fall Invite and at the Diving Knockout Showcase at Pitt.

- At Towers Pool, the Dukes tallied 23 top-three finishes, including 10 first-place honors. The action began on Saturday with the 400 medley relay, where Duquesne claimed the top two spots. The team of sophomores Caitlin Horning, Jess Burns, Rachel Howard, and freshman Lucy Backus touched the wall first with a time of 3:56.13. Close behind, the relay of freshman Norah Kotnik, sophomore Ashley Freel, freshman Emily Kyre, and sophomore Kaitlyn Connors finished second at 3:59.80.

- In the 1000-yard freestyle, the Dukes swept the top three spots, led by sophomore Sierra Snow, who touched the wall first with a time of 10:27.94. Freshmen Danica Wight and Norah Kotnik claimed silver and bronze, finishing at 11:07.38 and 11:19.09, respectively.

- Duquesne continued its dominance in the 200-yard freestyle, once again taking all three podium positions. Backus earned first place with a time of 1:56.67, followed by junior Julia Sobun (2:00.15) in second and Aislinn Mooney (2:02.32) in third. In the 100-yard backstroke, junior Lexi Sundgren captured gold with a time of 59.70, while senior Katie Simpson finished second at 1:01.95. The momentum carried into the 100-yard breaststroke, where Burns claimed first place at 1:07.16, followed by sophomore Surrena Luna in second at 1:08.65.

- Kyre led the Dukes in the 200-yard butterfly, touching the wall first with a time of 2:13.32, while Horning secured third at 2:14.38. In the 50-yard freestyle, Connors (24.58), senior Sydney Severini (25.39), and Simpson (25.85) swept the top three spots. The 100-yard freestyle saw Sundgren claim gold at 53.95, with Sobun taking silver at 55.67.

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The Series vs. West Virginia – Duquesne returns to Morgantown for the second straight season after competing in a tri-meet there last year. Senior Haley Scholer led the Dukes on Saturday with four medals, including golds in the 100 back (54.77) and 200 back (1:59.18). She added silver in the 200 IM (2:03.16) and helped the 200 medley relay to a second-place finish (1:42.98) alongside Sydney Severini, Ashley Freel, and Kaitlyn Connors. Severini also claimed gold in the 200 breast (2:16.56). Connors earned silver in the 50 free (23.50) and bronze in the 100 free (51.69), while Katie Simpson took fifth in the 100 free (52.49). Freshman Sierra Snow finished second in the 200 back (2:00.03). Senior Orla Egan, freshman Jess Burns, and Freel each recorded third-place finishes. Egan opened with a 17:05.00 in the 1650 free, Burns earned bronze in the 100 breast (1:03.81), and Freel placed third in the 100 fly (54.93). Severini finished fourth in the 100 breast (1:04.20). In diving, junior Ashley Felitsky led the way with silver on the one-meter (253.86) and bronze on the three-meter (253.55). Freshman Brianne Dempsey took seventh on the one-meter (233.85), and Josie Festa placed ninth (221.65).

Shining Off The Boards - In Clarion, all six Dukes divers competed, led by senior Ashley Felitsky, who earned a pair of medals in the one-meter and three-meter events. In the one-meter, Felitsky claimed gold with a final score of 259.20 over six dives. She was followed by sophomore Brianne Dempsey, who took silver at 245.60, and graduate student Lola Dragosavac, who captured bronze with a total of 241.15. Freshmen Grace Hedger (200.20) and Ellyn Huron (196.60), along with junior Erin Castagnero (192.00), finished fifth through seventh, respectively.

In the three-meter dive, Felitsky added a bronze medal to her performance with a score of 249.40. The Dukes also placed four through seven, as Dempsey scored 236.70 for fourth, followed by Castagnero (224.75), Dragosavac (224.25), and Huron (218.80). Across town at Pitt, senior Ashley Felitsky paced the way for the Dukes after securing a third-place finish in the three-meter drive with a final score of 292.35. It's the seventh time this season Felitsky has finished in the top three in the one-meter and three-meter dives. Graduate student Lola Dragosavac finished in seventh place with a score of 249.60 while sophomore Brianne Dempsey totaled a score fo 236.35 to be tabbed ninth. Junior Erin Castagnero finished with a score of 231.00 while freshmen Elly Huron (219.90) and Grace Hedger (192.95) rounded out the six Duquesne divers.

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