Swimming and Diving Capture Wins at Dennis Stark Relays

Friday, October 6

South Bend, IN

5 p.m.

University of Louisville

Notre Dame Relays

Marcelo Acosta| Louisville v Florida State | Photo By: Jeff Reinking | Louisville Athletics

Swimming and Diving Capture Wins at Dennis Stark Relays

October 06, 2017 | Swimming & Diving

The Cardinals placed first of five teams in their 2017-2018 debut.

By: Kylie Klotzbach

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – In a nail-biter that came down to the final events, the University of Louisville men's and women's swimming and diving teams finished first among five teams at the Dennis Stark Relays. The No. 7 men scored 130 points, just two points ahead of Notre Dame, while the ninth-ranked women edged the Fighting Irish by four points with 134.

"It's always good to get the season started," said head coach Arthur Albiero. "I like how our team handled the adversity of going on the road, traveling and competing in the same day. Perfect set up for early October. Credit to our team leadership and how they guided our freshman."

The Cardinals got off to a hot start, earning back to back victories in the first two events of the evening. The trio of Mallory Comerford, Grace Oglesby and Nastja Govejsek took first in the 3x100 butterfly relay (2:42.32), defeating Notre Dame's 'A' team by more than a second. Minutes later, Nicolas Albiero, Andrej Barna and Zach Harting ran down Notre Dame with a 47.75 anchor leg from Harting, winning the men's the 3x100 butterfly relay in 2:25.96.

In the next event of the evening, Lainey Visscher split a 53.74, passing Notre Dame and leading the Cardinals to a victory in the 3x100 backstroke relay. Visscher, Alina Kendzior and Ashlyn Schoof posted a time of 2:43.17. In the men's 3x100 backstroke relay, Nikolaos Sofianidis, Jacob DeMercurio and Jarrett Jones placed fourth (2:33.25).

Mariia Astashkina, Morgan Friesen and Lauren James raced to a second place finish in the 3x100 breastroke relay, swimming a time of 3:12.27. On the men's side, the team of Carlos Claverie, Jonathan Zoucha and Michael Hampel placed third (2:52.33).

In the first traditional relay of the evening, the Cardinals were bolstered by a swift 1:44.79 anchor leg from Comerford. She teamed with Arina Openysheva, Sophie Cattermole and Rachel Grooms to take the top spot in the 800 freestyle relay (7:19.39). Minutes later, Barna, Harting, Sam Steele and Jones would capture first place in the men's 800 freestyle relay, touching the wall in 6:38.11 and beating their closest competitor by over five seconds.

Building on the momentum from their sweep of the 800 free relay, both the men and the women took first in the 400 medley relay. On the women's side, Kendzior, Astashkina, Oglesby and Comerford posted a 3:40.69. The foursome of Albiero, Claverie, Harting and Barna trounced the field by over seven seconds with a 3:15.91.

The Louisville men continued their winning streak, finishing first in the 3x500 free relay. Marcelo Acosta, T.C. Smith and Jones turned in a time of 13:28.57. Meanwhile, the trio of Cattermole, Moser and Openysheva took second (15:06.26).

The Lady Cards captured another victory in the 200 free relay (1:31.31) as Comerford, Visscher, Openysheva and Casey Fanz edged out Notre Dame by just over one tenth of a second. In the following race, Albiero, Barna, Sofianidis and Harting were narrowly defeated by the Fighting Irish, finishing second with a time of 1:21.41.

In the 4x100 IM relay, the men and women cruised to first place finishes. Kendzior, Bradford-Feldman, Astashkina and James swam a 3:49.09, while Zoucha, Claverie, Sofianidis and Jones posted a 3:23.45.

In the final race of the evening, the Cardinals took second in both the men's and women's 400 free relays. Vischer, Comerford, Openysheva and Fanz barely missed out on the top spot, finishing 0.05 behind Notre Dame in a time of 3:19.52. Albiero, Barna, Steele and Harting swam a 2:58.82 in the men's race.

The tandem of Molly Fears and Michaela Sliney provided valuable points for the Cardinals with a second place finish in the 1-meter dive relay, scoring a 479.15. The duo of Daniel Fecteau and Daniel Pinto also took second with a score of 571.30.

In the 3-meter synchronized diving event, Fecteau and Pinto were able to secure the win with a 286.50. In the women's event, Sliney and Brianna Price scored a 222.96 for third place.

The Cardinals return to the Rolfs Aquatic Center tomorrow at 11 a.m. for their first dual meet of the season against Notre Dame.

"Relay meets are always fun," said Albiero. "We will have a short turn around to get ready for a straight up dual meet tomorrow."