Cardinals Welcome Missouri for Top-15 Matchup on Friday

Friday, January 15

LOUISVILLE, KY

Women 10 a.m. | Men 1:30 p.m.

University of Louisville

Missouri

Photo by: Karl L. Moore

Cardinals Welcome Missouri for Top-15 Matchup on Friday

January 13, 2021 | Swimming & Diving

The No. 13/14 Cardinals are set to host No. 8/13 Missouri.

By: Chandler Brandes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In the first official home dual meet of the season, the No. 13/14 University of Louisville men's and women's swimming and diving team will face No. 8/13 Missouri for a top-15 showdown on Friday, January 15.

The meet will be held in two sessions at the Ralph Wright Natatorium, beginning with the women at 10 a.m. followed by the men at 1:30 p.m.

About the Cardinals
It came down to the wire in South Bend last weekend when the No. 13 UofL men clinched a narrow 152-148 victory over No. 21 Notre Dame as Michael Eastman, Haridi Sameh Kamel, Nicolas Albiero, and Colton Paulson joined forces to win the final 400 freestyle relay. Mitchell Whyte swept both backstroke events while Albiero did the same in the 100 and 200 butterfly, and Sameh sprinted to the top spot in the 50 freestyle. Evgenii Somov was also a double-event winner by claiming the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley and Daniel Pinto dove to first on the 3-meter board.

In a hard-fought battle, the No. 14 Cardinal women came up just short and fell 141-158 to the Fighting Irish. Ashlyn Schoof, Kaylee Wheeler, Christiana Regenauer, and Gabi Alibero kicked things off by winning the opening 200 medley relay and the quartet of Regenauer, Katie Schoor, Alena Kraus, and Sumida won the 400 freestyle relay. UofL's four individual event winners were Friesen (200 breaststroke), Maria Sumida (500 freestyle), Albiero (50 freestyle), and Kaylee Wheeler (100 breaststroke).

Louisville concluded the 2019-20 season with a 4-2 dual meet record. Both the men's and women's teams finished third overall at the ACC Championships where the Cardinals produced a total of four individual gold medalists and two relay champions. UofL qualified 10 men and 12 women for the NCAA Championships before the meet was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Scouting Missouri
The No. 8 Tiger men sit five spots ahead of the Cardinals in the latest polls while the No. 13 Mizzou women are just one place ahead of UofL, setting the stage for what will be a highly-contested matchup. Friday's meet will mark Missouri's first dual meet of 2021, but the Tigers come to Louisville with convincing wins over TCU, Missouri State, and Arkansas and a successful showing at the Missouri Invitational.

Ben Patton posted the nation's second-fastest time in the 100 breaststroke last semester while SEC champion Danny Kovac owns a trio of top-12 swims in the 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 200 individual medley. Jack Dahlgren has been the Tigers' top performer in the 100 and 200 backstroke, turning in times that rank tenth in both events in the NCAA so far this season. Jack Dubois leads Missouri in the distance freestyle events and Jose Carlo Lopez has consistently been the Tigers' top performer on the boards.

Sarah Thompson has paved the way for the Tiger women this season, posting top-15 times in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 100 butterfly. Megan Keil, who currently ranks third in the nation in the 50 freestyle right behind Thompson, has been a huge asset to Mizzou both individually and on relays. Meredith Rees has been their top performer in the 100 and 200 backstroke while Katrina Brathwaite tops the roster the way in the breaststroke events.

Last Time Out
The Cardinals and Tigers last met during the 2018-19 season in Columbia, Mo. where the Louisville men sealed a 178-122 win and the UofL women won 163-137. UofL won a total of 14 events on the men's side, including both relays. Individual winners included Albiero in the 100 backstroke and Somov in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. The Cardinal women won 11 events, highlighted by a sweep of the breaststroke events by Mariia Astashkina.

The Cardinals participate in a virtual meet against Tennessee at Ralph Wright Natatorium on October 29.