The New York University women's swimming and diving team returned home to the Palladium Athletic Facility on Friday, hosting the first session of the NYU Fall Invitational.
The meet is being contested over two days, featuring the Violet swimmers alongside opponents Drew University and Stevens Institute of Technology, and divers up against Brooklyn College and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).
After five races and the three-meter dive, the Violets lead the field with 199 points - ahead of Stevens (97), Drew (54), TCNJ (6), and Brooklyn (4).
"This was a great start to the meet for our women. We saw a lot of really strong racing up and down the lineup," said Swimming Head Coach
Trevor Miele. "I want our swimmers to get up, compete hard, and clean up the details of their races, and that's exactly what they did today. I'm excited to see them build on it tomorrow."
The divers opened the session on Friday morning in the three-meter competition.
Maya Williams led the field with a 343.50 score, with teammates
Sanayia Joefield (301.40),
Sarah Ginsberg (281.60), and
Amy Nam (278.20) filling out second, third, and fourth places, respectively.
Victoria So (260.40) took seventh place, while
Kripa Rao (255.90) took eighth place.
"Good day for NYU Diving.
Maya Williams scored a personal best and just missed breaking the NYU record," said Diving Head Coach
Todd Kolean. "Maya has made both of her regional scores, and every other diver on the team made their first regional championship scores. We are in a great spot for this time of season."
The swimming action opened with the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Violets' "A" team of
Chloe Loo,
Llew Ladomirak,
Lian Jeong Engle, and
Maeve O'Donnell led the eight-team field with a 1:34.07 time. NYU's "B" team (
Isabelle Westling,
Thi Tran,
Natsuki Uchino,
Reina Gomez) took second with a 1:38.34 finish.
In the long distance race of the night,
Bethany Spangler led the group in the 500 freestyle, 5:07.73, with
Malin Wolfson (5:08.97),
Eloise Emig (5:12.44), and
Matilda Prizler (5:12.49) coming in second, third, and fourth place, respectively.
The Violets posted the top four finishes in the 200 individual medley, led by
Chloe Loo (2:09.27).
Thi Tran (2:09.90) came in second place, with
Tara Aloul (2:10.11) and
Babette Bradley (2:10.67) close for third and fourth places.
The final individual race of the evening was the 50 freestyle. O'Donnell led the field of 24 swimmers, taking first with a 23.64 time. Ladomirak (24.28) and Jeong Engle (24.32) battled for the final two podium spots.
NYU finished the night with the top two finishers in the 400 medley relay. The Violets' "A" team led the way with a 3:51.19 time, and the "B" team took second in 3:56.81.
The invitational continues Saturday with two sessions, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
