Algee, Maric Lead Hurricanes to Dual Meet Win
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes swimming & diving team captured a 151-147 win over Princeton in a Homecoming dual meet Friday afternoon at the Whitten University Center Pool.
Led by a number of strong performances in the lanes and on the boards, Miami remained unbeaten at its home pool this season.
“They definitely showed some great fight and protected their turf,” head swimming coach Andy Kershaw said. “This is a great place, and they take a lot of pride in what we do here. They like to make this place special.”
Miami fell behind in the early stages of the meet, but took the lead by the halfway point and held on with a strong finish.
Freshman Manon Viguier posted Miami’s first win of the day with a first-place time of 1:50.79 in the 200-yard freestyle. The Hurricanes swept the top-three finishes in the event, with junior Julie Suarez taking second (1:51.96) and sophomore Ianire Casrain third (1:52.53).
Senior Christina Leander (56.20) and sophomore Roxanne Yu (56.42) added points in the 100 backstroke, and senior Angela Algee earned Miami’s second event win of the day with a time of 2:01.11 in the 200 butterfly.
A pair of freshmen earned the top two spots in the 50 free: Viguier took second (23.65) and Iliana Oikonomou took first (23.54).
Sophomore diver Marcela Maric was the day’s top performer, capturing wins in both the 1-meter (294.00) and 3-meter (312.00).
“One of the things that impresses me is they’re continuing to learn how to do it as a team, rather than take it on one by one,” Kershaw said. “That’s a big part of it, is continuing to develop the team part of it, which in swimming and diving, is not the easiest thing to accomplish.”
Suarez (51.04) took the 100 free with Oikonomou (third, 52.04) and Casarin (fourth, 53.13) not far behind. The Hurricanes gained momentum when Yu won the 200 backstroke (2:01.32) and Viguier won the 500 free (4:56.97).
“She has no idea how fast she can go in that race. It was good to see her bring it home in that one,” Kershaw said of Viguier’s third individual win.
Competing in one of her signature event, Algee won the 100 fly (54.79).
“She’s our backbone in a lot of ways,” Kershaw said of the senior. “She’s always there, and sometimes it gets passed over because she wins every meet. It always counts. She was big for us again today.”
The Hurricanes clinched the win with the top performance in the final event, the 400 free relay. Miami’s top entry – comprised of Viguier, Oikonomou, Suarez and Algee – finished in a time of 3:24.48 to seal the victory.
“I have a ton of respect for Princeton and the team there,” Kershaw said. “We knew it was going to be a tough one, and I’m proud of them.”
