- The Duquesne University swimming & diving team travels to Ocala, Fla., to compete in the National Invitational Championships from Thursday, Mar. 12 through Saturday, Mar. 14, inside the Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training venue.
- The Dukes are most recently coming off its second consecutive third-place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championships, scoring the sixth most points in school history with 516.50.
- On the final day, sophomore
Sierra Snow continued her standout championship performance, earning another gold medal with a personal-best time of 1:55.15 in the 200-yard backstroke. Freshman
Norah Kotnik advanced to the finals and placed seventh overall with a time of 2:00.71. Sophomore
Caitlin Horning added to the Dukes point total in the consolation final, finishing in 2:04.26.
- In the 200-yard butterfly, Duquesne secured a pair of medals behind standout performances from sophomore Ashley Freel and senior Claudia Rzeznik. Freel claimed silver with a time of 1:59.49, improving on her prelims mark of 2:01.37. Rzeznik followed with a personal-best 2:00.48 to earn bronze. Freshman
Kira Schrecongost and junior
Julia Sobun also competed in the consolation finals, posting times of 2:04.89 and 2:08.03, respectively.
- On the diving board, sophomore Brianne Dempsey reached the championship final and placed eighth with a score of 231.35. Graduate student Lola Dragosavac competed in the consolation final, posting a score of 237.50.
- As a team, Duquesne recorded more than 18 personal-best performances over the four-day meet and captured 10 medals, four gold, two silver, and four bronze, while breaking three school records to cap an impressive showing.
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National Invitational Championships – Last season, Duquesne the Dukes secured a 16th-place finish in the women's team standings, earning a total of 210 points. Duquesne saw impressive performances from its swimmers during the time trials, with a pair of freshmen setting personal bests.
Ashley Freel recorded a career-best time of 2:04.93 in the 200-yard IM, while her classmate
Sierra Snow achieved a personal best in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing in 1:50.97.
Jess Burns also competed, posting a time of 24.36 in the 50-yard freestyle. Meanwhile,
Lexi Sundgren delivered a strong performance in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at 52.42 to secure fourth place.
Haley Scholer led the Dukes on the second day of competition, securing a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke. After recording a prelims time of 54.28, she improved in the finals, touching the wall at 53.97. Scholer also contributed to the 800-yard freestyle relay team alongside Sundgren, Snow, and
Orla Egan, as they posted a time of 7:22.21 to place seventh.
Ashley Freel competed in the B Final of the 100-yard butterfly, finishing 20th with a time of 55.49. The Dukes also saw action in the 200-yard medley relay, where Scholer teamed up with Burns, Freel, and
Kaitlyn Connors. The quartet clocked in at 1:42.89, securing a 23rd-place finish to wrap up day two.
All-Academic Team – Sophomore Ashley Freel has been named to the Atlantic 10 Women's Swimming & Diving All-Academic Team. Freel, a native of Bloomington, Indiana, earns the honor for the first time in her career while maintaining a perfect 4.00 GPA as she pursues a degree in mechanical engineering. At the Atlantic 10 Championships, Freel helped Duquesne secure its second consecutive third-place finish with 516.5 points, the sixth-highest total in program history. She delivered a standout performance at the meet, scoring the fifth-most points overall, earning four medals, including two individual titles and helping break a school record. Freel's first medal came on the opening day as part of the 800-yard freestyle relay, where she anchored the Dukes to gold with a time of 7:16.52. On the third day of the meet, she claimed her first individual gold medal in the 100-yard butterfly, successfully defending her title with a winning time of 55.38.
The Indiana native continued her success by earning a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly on the final day, posting a time of 1:59.49. Freel also contributed to the 400 medley relay team that captured bronze with a time of 3:41.47, while helping the 200-yard medley relay squad break the school record in the opening event of the championships, finishing in 1:40.40.
Off The Boards - Graduate student Lola Dragosavac and sophomore
Brianne Dempsey represented Duquesne in Annapolis, Maryland, at the NCAA Diving Zones earlier this week. Dragosavac, who qualified for the Zone A meet in the one-meter for the second time in her career, posted a score of 226.15 to finish 43rd out of 86 competitors. She surpassed her previous Zone A score of 211.4, which she recorded during the 2023–24 season in Richmond. Dempsey also qualified for the one-meter competition for the second consecutive season. She recorded a final score of 223.65 to place 45th overall. The sophomore improved on last year's performance, topping her previous score of 208.25 and finishing 12 spots higher than she did a season ago.
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