Miami Completes Opening Swim/Dive Meet of 2017
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The first University of Miami athletic event of 2017 took place Saturday afternoon at the Whitten Pool.
The Miami swimming and women’s diving team hosted No. 10/21 Florida, falling 180-115, while the men’s diving team impressed against both the Gators and UConn.
“The focus hasn’t necessarily been the speed right now,” Miami head swimming coach Andy Kershaw said. “It has been the training, which is important for the end of the year. We have five weeks to get that speed back.”
Miami swept the top position in each of the four diving events, with junior Briadam Herrera winning both the 3-meter (370.60) and 1-meter (382.50) competitions. On the women’s side, sophomore Marcela Maric led the way in the 3-meter (355.20) and junior Wally Layland won in the 1-meter (317.50).
The Hurricanes also finished second in each of the three competitions they had multiple competitors. Redshirt freshman David Dinsmore placed second in the 1-meter (332.75) in the first spring event of his career, while Maric was second in the 1-meter (275.90) and Layland finished second in the 3-meter (322.25).
Senior Angela Algee turned in a strong showing for Miami in the water and won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 26.57 seconds. The Hurricanes also performed quite well in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
“It was great to see Angela get a win for us. It is her senior year and she is still getting wins, so that is certainly a positive,” Kershaw said. “I am happy to see the 400-meter free relay [swim well]. We talk a lot about free relays. We didn’t win it, but compared to how we had done up to that point in the meet, the 400 free relay showed a lot of toughness.”
In the 50-yard freestyle, fellow freshmen Iliana Oikonomu and Manon Viguer placed two-three for the Hurricanes. Viguer also came in second in the 100-yard freestyle, with sophomore Ianire Casarin finishing just behind her in third.
“I still thought their race strategy [was good],” Kershaw said of the Miami team as a whole. “They stuck with that, and technique-wise [there were] a lot of good things in there.”
The Hurricanes competed Saturday just days after wrapping up an 11-day trip to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
“I am really excited for our seniors—that they had the chance to do the camp we just did and swim Florida,” Kershaw said. “This is the first time we have had the chance to swim Florida in their career here. We have two more duals left in their career. I am super proud of them and happy for them.”
The Miami swimmers and women’s divers will return to action Jan. 21 when they travel to Fort Myers, Fla., to take on FGCU. The Hurricane men’s divers will be in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the same day, facing Alabama and Florida State at 10 a.m.
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