Swimming and Diving Finishes Strong First Day at Big Al Invitational

PRINCETON, N.J. – GW swimming and diving closed out the first day at the Big Al Invitational after a day of rewriting all-time top ten times. Swimming against Princeton, Utah, Columbia, CSU Bakersfield and Denver, the men broke into the Buff and Blue record book three times, while the women did so twice.

After one day of competition, the women are in third place with 163 points, and the men are in fourth place with 137 points.

Women’s Highlights:

  • Sophomore Julia Knox blazed in the 500-yard freestyle prelims, taking fifth place and the program’s seventh-fastest 500-yard freestyle time (4:54.17). The record didn’t hold for long, as first-year Ava Topolewski bumped Knox’s time to eighth when she took first place in the 500-yard freestyle C-final (4:53.39) and the new seventh-fastest swim in program history. 

  • GW was led on the 3-meter diving board by Olivia Paquette (9th, 245.85) and Dara Reyblat (12th, 238.00).

  • Chloe Hernandez, Barbara Schaal, Moriah Freitas and Marlee Rickert combined to take third place in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:32.82). Freitas and Schaal were also part of the fourth-place 400-yard medley relay (3:40.52) team, along with Ava DeAngelis and Phoebe Wright.

Men’s Highlights:

  • Djurdje Matic and Marek Osina each qualified for an A-final: Matic in the 50-yard free (20.14) and Osina in the 200-yard IM (1:47.33). Both went on to finish fifth in their respective finals (Matic 20.10, Osina 1:46.67). 

  • Mikhail Lyubavskiy (4:26.24) and Philip Moldovanu (4:26.61) took first and third in the 500-yard freestyle C-final. Both nabbed spots on GW’s all-time top ten list as Lyubavskiy moved into fourth and Moldovanu into fifth in the event. 

  • Matthew Whelan swam the program’s 10th fastest 50-yard freestyle time (20.50).

  • The Buff and Blue nabbed second (1:20.22) in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Matic, Whelan, Dylan Koo and Tyler Kawakami combined for the podium finish. GW then closed out the night by taking third place in the 400-yard medley relay (3:12.43) as Karol Mlynarczyk joined Kawakami, Matic and Whelan. 

UP NEXT:

The Big Al Invitational continues Saturday with preliminary events beginning at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.. Coverage of the meet can be found on ESPN+.

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