Cardinals Set to Host Xavier to Open 2019 Season

Friday, October 4

LOUISVILLE, KY

3:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

Xavier University

Annette Schultz the Louisville Invitational at Ralph Wright Natatorium on February 17.

October 02, 2019 | Swimming & Diving

Cards take on the Musketeers at 3 p.m. at Ralph Wright Natatorium.

By: Chandler Brandes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Coming off a historic season, the University of Louisville men's and women's swimming and diving teams kick off the 2019-20 campaign as they welcome Xavier to Ralph Wright Natatorium on Friday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m.

The Cardinal divers will compete exhibition as the Musketeers do not have a diving program, but all scores will count for NCAA qualification purposes.

2018-19 RECAP
History was made last season for the Cardinals as they became the first ACC program in history to have both its men's and women's teams finish among the top-five in the team standings at the NCAA Championships in the same year.

The men's team finished a program-high fifth place at NCAAs, surpassing their previous top finish of ninth in both 2012 and 2018. Their 212 points was also the most scored by a Louisville team at an NCAA Championships. The Cardinal men were the team runners-up at the ACC Championships.

Highlighted by a pair of national titles for Mallory Comerford, the women's team recorded their highest finish in program history with a fourth-place showing at the NCAA Championships. Like the men, their score of 235 points was also the most points scored by a Cardinal team at NCAAs in history. Louisville secured third place at the ACC Championships.

SCOUTING XAVIER
Xavier is coming off a clean sweep of Butler, Evansville, and Saint Louis at the Butler Double Dual this past weekend. The women won eight out of 16 events and the men took the top spot in nine. Sprinter Emily Conners won the 50 free (23.84) and 100 free (52.07) while Taylor Hogan claimed a pair of victories in the 200 fly (2:04.43) and 400 IM (4:33.89). The Xavier women finished second at the Big East Championships last year, recording their highest finish since joining the conference in 2013.

At the quad meet, Andrew Martin won the 200 free (1:42.28) and posted the fastest time in the 500 free (4:41.33) as Jon Bernard won the 200 breast (2:06.02) and 400 IM (4:04.33). At the 2019 Big East Championships, the Musketeer men claimed their fourth conference title in program history while going four-for-five in relays.

LAST YEAR'S MEETING
The Cardinals won every race at last year's season opener against Xavier. The women won the meet 185-73 and the men claimed a 172.5-81.5 victory over the Musketeers.

Double winners among the Cardinal women included Arina Openysheva, Alina Kendzior, Grace Oglesby and Mariia Astashkina. Nikkos Sofianidas, Daniel Sos, and Evgenii Somov all claimed a pair of individual victories on the men's side.

SUMMER RECAP

Junior captain Nick Albiero, along with Mallory Comerford, Zach Harting, and Kelsi Worrell Dahlia, were named to the 2019-20 USA Swimming National team.
Comerford finished seventh in the 100m free at the 18th FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. She also set a new world record as a member of Team USA's winning 4x100m mixed free relay, who finished in 3:19.60.
Worrel finished fourth in the 50m fly (25.48) to tie her own American record and sixth in the 100m fly in Gwangju. Swimming the butterfly leg on Team USA's gold medal 4x100m medley relay, she helped set a new world record with a time of 3:50.40.
Dahlia and Comerford set an American record in the 4x100m free relay (3:31.02) to secure the silver medal. The duo also competed in the prelims of the 4x100m medley relay to earn another silver after Team USA placed second in finals.
After qualifying second during the semi-finals, Harting placed sixth in the 200m fly finals, stopping the clock in 1:55.69 for Team USA.

Representing Egypt, Haridi Sameh raced to 16th in the 50m fly at the World Championships in a time of 23.68.

Molly Fears was the first Cardinal diver to ever represent Team USA at the 2019 World University Games in Napoli, Italy, where she finished 11th in the finals of the platform.
Daniel Sos also competed at the 2019 World University Games in Italy for his native Hungary, finishing sixth in the 200m IM (2:00.72) and 19th in the 400m IM (4:23.81).
At the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, T.C. Smith placed 11th in the 10K open water with a time of 1:57.27.6.
While representing Peru at the Pan American Games, Daniel Pinto placed 16th on the 1m board (251.35) and 18th on the 3m board (321.60). He, along with Adrian Infante, also finished ninth in the 3m synchronized (331.29).
Current sophomore Hayden Curley was selected to participate in USA Swimming's National Open Water Select Camp, an elite camp featuring emerging open water swimmers from around the country.Ilia Sibirtsev earned silver in the 800m free and bronze in the 1500m free at FINA World Juniors in Budapest.