UM Cruises Past FIU and FGCU In Final Home Meet
Jan. 26, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami swimming and diving team defeated Florida International, 167-63, and Florida Gulf Coast, 169-70, in a tri-meet Saturday morning at the Norman Whitten Student Union Pool. Ryann Labreche, Britta Boesing and Annika Saarnak all came away with a pair of individual wins as UM came up victorious in all but two events on the afternoon.
Labreche won both long distance freestyle events, taking the 1000-yard free in 10:22.88 and the 500-yard free in 5:02.24. Fellow freshman Saarnak also came away with freestyle wins in the 100-yard free (51.26) and the 200-yard free (1:53.56) while Boesing beat out FGCU’s Rachael Rein to win the 200-yard IM in 2:06.96 before picking up another win in the 100-yard backstroke in 58.09.
“I was very impressed with the way we swam overall today,” head coach Christie Shefchunas said. “Hopefully it is a great indicator of things to come heading into the ACC Championships.”
The Hurricanes, who moved to 8-2 on the season with two wins Saturday, also won the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:46.92 in addition to a mark of 3:33.63 in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Saturday not only marked the final home meet of the season for UM, but it was also the final home competition for Allison Bardowell, Emerson Davis, Capria DeVenuto, Tina Rau and Maggie Ravenna.
“I am really proud of this group of seniors and the way they came out and competed today,” Shefchunas said. “It’s always great to see the seniors go out on a strong note in their last home meet.”
Other individual winners for UM were Katie Eason in the 100-yard butterfly (58.18) and Magdalena Waszkiewicz in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.05).
On the diving boards, Brittany Viola won the 1-meter event with a score of 289.35 and came in second to FIU’s Peanut Lowell in the 3-meter event. Lowell edged out Viola, 265.30-245.35 to give FIU one of two wins on the day.
In the match-up of the two visiting teams, FGCU beat FIU, 165-74. In a losing effort, FIU’s Trudi Maree won the 50-yard freestyle event in a time of 23.70, just beating out UM’s second-place finisher, Kirsten Pomerleau.
The `Canes will hit the road next week with a trip to Florida Atlantic University Saturday, Feb. 2 to take on the Owls for a second time this season after UM came away with a 165.5-132.5 win in the first meeting between the two schools in Coral Gables, Nov. 9. The meet at the FAU Pool is slated for an 11 a.m. start.
Following next weekend’s meet against FAU, the Hurricanes will begin preparation for the 2008 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships in Atlanta, Feb. 20-23.
