Hurricanes Post Strong Day 1 of SMU Classic
DALLAS — Highlighted by Alicia Blagg’s top finish in the 1-meter springboard, the Miami Hurricanes swimming & diving team enjoyed a strong first day of the SMU Classic hosted at the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center.
Blagg, who posted a score of 301.55, edged out Virginia’s Sydney Dusel (295.60) for the best performance of the night on the boards.
“Pretty good night for us tonight, including Alicia’s win in the 1-meter. That was great for us, and great for her,” head swimming coach Andy Kershaw said. “We had a lot of good swims and a number of best times.”
Miami enjoyed several strong performances in the lanes, including the third-fastest 400 IM in school history by freshman Maria Artigas Fernandez.
Fernandez touched the wall in a time of 4:20.79 to give Miami some early momentum Friday night.
“That was pretty exciting, it was the fastest we’ve had in awhile and five seconds faster than last year’s best performer in the event,” Kershaw said. “Maria’s performance was great to see.”
Junior Manon Viguier, who missed the first two dual meets of the season, made her season debut and took fifth in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:48.31.
“It was great to have Manon back, and she had some good swims under her belt,” Kershaw said. “It’s like I told her afterwards – just like riding a bike, when you get back in and get some competition, you know exactly what to do. She executed a great race.”
Freshman Coco Hull was sixth in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.91, while freshman Zorry Mason continued a strong start to her collegiate career with a time of 55.56 in the 100-yard butterfly.
Senior Roxanne Yu competed in one of her signature events, the 100-yard backstroke, and took fifth (56.01) while Mason closed the night’s individual events with the 10th-fastest 100-yard breaststroke time in school history (1:02.99).
“That was her best time and a really good swim by her,” Kershaw said about Mason’s performance.
Miami’s 800-yard freestyle relay entry, comprised of Artigas Fernandez, Viguier and sophomores Carmen San Nicolas Martinez and Sydney Knapp, ended the first day of competition with a time of 7:23.37.
“We’re not satisfied with where we’re at place-wise, but we’re in the hunt for fourth, and that’s our mission,” Kershaw said. “That’s what we’re going to keep fighting for.”
