Duquesne @ National Invitational Championships
Thursday, Mar. 13 to Saturday, Mar. 15, 2025
Prelims at 9:30 a.m. – Finals at 6:00 p.m.
Ocala, Fla. • Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training

Take Your Mark … BEEP
-The Duquesne University swimming and diving team travels to Ocala, Fla. To compete at the National Invitational Championships, inside the Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training facility from Thursday, March 13 through Saturday, March 15. Prelims are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. each day while the finals will begin at 6:00 p.m.

- The Dukes last competed at the Atlantic 10 Championships where they secured their second third-place finish in the last five years. They finished with 525 points to claim the bronze, which is the fourth highest total scored in team history.

- Freshman Ashley Freel made history at the A-10 Championships, becoming just the third rookie in program history to earn Most Outstanding Rookie honors. She showcased her talent with an impressive medal haul, securing three podium finishes, a personal best, and contributing to a school record.

- Her standout performance culminated in the 200-yard butterfly, where she earned silver with a personal best time of 1:58.97. This followed a dominant showing in the 100-yard fly, where she captured gold and a new school record while a strong relay effort, helping the 400-yard medley team clinch silver.

- The Dukes dominated the 200-yard backstroke, claiming the top two spots in a record-breaking performance. Senior Haley Scholer defended her title, winning gold for the second consecutive season with a personal best, a new school record, and an NCAA B Cut time of 1:54.96. Freshman Sierra Snow followed closely behind, securing silver with a personal best and an NCAA B Cut time of 1:55.91, capping off a stellar showing for the team.

- Scholer captured five medals at the championships, including three individual honors. In the 100 backstroke, she secured silver with a personal best of 53.64, while in the 200 IM, she claimed bronze with a time of 2:00.37. Additionally, Scholer contributed to her team's success by helping the 800 freestyle relay secure second place and playing a key role in the 400-yard medley relay, which set a new school record and earned silver with a time of 3:39.92.

- Senior Orla Egan delivered a standout performance at the conference championship, securing three individual medals and one relay medal. Egan struck gold in the 200-yard freestyle, setting a new personal best with a time of 1:49.37. On the final day, she dominated the 1650-yard freestyle, earning silver with a personal best, a new school record, and an NCAA B Cut time of 16:38.34.

- The senior opened day two with an impressive swim in the 500-yard freestyle, capturing silver while setting a new school record and a personal best of 4:48.52. Egan also contributed to the 800-yard freestyle relay team, helping secure a second-place finish.

- On the final day in the 200-yard breaststroke, junior Sydney Severini captured herself a bronze medal touching the wall at 2:11.92, which is a personal best, school record and NCAA B Cut.

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National Invitational Championships – Last season, Duquesne delivered a strong performance, finishing 15th out of 54 schools with a total of 182.5 points. On the final day, Haley Scholer stood out by earning a bronze medal in the 200-yard backstroke, posting a time of 1:56.67 after qualifying with a 1:57.88 in the prelims. In the 200-yard butterfly, Madeline Marks secured seventh place with a time of 2:01.26, while Sydney Severini advanced to the finals of the 200-yard breaststroke, finishing 10th with a time of 2:16.10. Orla Egan impressed in the distance events, recording a time of 17:03.83 in the 1650-yard freestyle and 10:25.70 in the 1000-yard freestyle. Earlier in the competition, the 800-yard freestyle relay team of Egan, Lexi Sundgren, Marks, and Scholer placed fifth with a time of 7:23.23. Additionally, Scholer, Severini, Julia Sobun, and Natalia Fryckowska competed in the 200-yard medley relay, finishing 17th with a time of 1:42.52.

All-Academic Squad - Duquesne's Haley Scholer, Orla Egan, Sydney Severini, and Lexi Sundgren were named to the Atlantic 10 Women's Swimming and Diving All-Academic Team, as announced by the league office on Tuesday, March 4. This marks the highest number of Dukes student-athletes to receive the honor since 2020 when five earned a spot on the list. Scholer, a senior from Jamison, Pa., earned all-academic recognition for the second consecutive season, maintaining an impressive 3.93 GPA while pursuing a degree in marketing. Egan secured her first career selection, balancing a rigorous nursing program with a 3.10 GPA while excelling in the pool. Severini, a native of Wood-Ridge, N.J., also celebrated her first conference honor while working toward a degree in speech-language pathology. Sundgren, meanwhile, earned her first career selection with a perfect 4.00 GPA while pursuing a degree in occupational therapy.

Off The Boards - A pair of divers showcased their skills at the 2025 NCAA Zone A Diving Championships on Monday and Tuesday, hosted by Rutgers University. Junior Ashley Felitsky and freshman Brianne Dempsey represented Duquesne in Piscataway, N.J., competing against a highly competitive field of divers. Felitsky delivered a standout performance, securing 31st place in the one-meter dive with a final score of 239.75 across six dives, making her the top Atlantic 10 finisher. On Monday, she also competed in the three-meter dive, earning a score of 194.95. This marked her third appearance at zones for the one-meter dive and her first for the three-meter. The Cranberry native also outperformed reigning A-10 Champion Olivia Paquette with her efforts. Dempsey, making her NCAA Diving Zones debut, had an impressive showing in the one-meter dive, finishing 56th out of 81 competitors with a final score of 208.25 over six dives. Her performance was particularly notable as she surpassed multiple divers from Power Five programs.

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