Morgantown, W.Va. - The Duquesne University swimming and diving team opened competition at the WVU Invitational on Thursday at the Mylan Park Aquatic Center, highlighted by two Dukes posting top-ten program times.

After the first day of events, Duquesne stands in fourth place with 330 points. William & Mary leads the field with 530 points, followed by host West Virginia with 485. Georgetown is currently third with 388 points, while Drexel sits just behind the Dukes with 281.

Freshman Lucy Backus and sophomore Sierra Snow each posted top-ten program times, with Backus earning a bronze medal in the 50-yard freestyle. Her time of 23.17 marked a personal best, a top-ten performance, and a CSCAA B cut. Snow also delivered a personal best and top-ten time in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing sixth with a mark of 4:55.31. Later in the evening, she added another top-ten mark to her resume, delivering a 55.02 split in the backstroke while leading off the 400-medley relay.

Thursday's finals opened with the 200-yard freestyle relay, where the squad of sophomores Kaitlyn Connors, Rachel Howard, Jess Burns, and Backus recorded a CSCAA A cut time of 1:33.88 to place sixth.

In the 500-yard freestyle, junior Lexi Sundgren competed in the B Final and recorded a time of 5:03.72, while senior Aislinn Mooney swam in the C Final, touching the wall in 5:07.90. Duquesne placed four athletes in the 200 IM. Senior Sydney Severini (2:06.45) and sophomore Surrena Luna (2:07.61) finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the A Final. In the B Final, sophomore Ashley Freel posted a time of 2:06.30, and freshman Emily Kyre clocked a 2:07.96 in the C Final.

Duquesne placed two relay teams in the top five of the 400-yard medley relay. The quartet of Snow, Severini, Freel, and Backus finished fourth with a time of 3:43.58, while the team of freshman Norah Kotnik, Burns, Howard, and Connors came in fifth at 3:49.69.

The finals concluded with the three-meter dive, where senior Ashley Felitsky scored 244.60 to earn eighth place.

UP NEXT
Duquesne continues action at the WVU Invitational on Friday, Nov. 21, with the prelims set to start at 10:00 a.m., followed by the finals at 6:00 p.m.