MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (January 18, 2018) – The West Virginia University men’s swimming and diving team defeated rival Pitt for the second consecutive time at the WVU Natatorium on Thursday afternoon.
The Mountaineer men won 11 events and set three pool records to earn a 187-113 victory in the Backyard Brawl. The WVU women won two events in a 193-107 defeat.
“I am really proud of both teams today, we discussed focusing on creating our own environment and I think both teams did a great job of that today,” WVU coach Vic Riggs said. “Morgan Bullock and Amelie (Currat) continue to compete at a high level with our underclassmen improving meet to meet. For both teams we discussed improving upon our times from last weekend, and as a team we did that by setting three pool records, two for the men and one by the women.
“For the men to come out with a victory today was fantastic. Coming out with a 1-2 finish in the 200 medley relay really set the tone for the rest of the meet. David (Dixon), Merwane (El Merini), Tristen (DiSibio), Luke (Hene), Logan (McHenry) and Michael (Proietto) had key victories today. (Diving coach Michael Grapner) and our divers did a great job on the boards today and were a key factor in securing the victory for the men. Overall it was a very solid performance for both teams.”
The men’s win over Pitt was their second in three years and eighth all-time. Four of those wins have come in Riggs’ 11 seasons.
Junior Merwane El Merini led the Mountaineers with two individual wins and a pair of relay victories, while freshman David Dixon notched two individual wins and contributed to one relay win. Sophomore Luke Hene also won two individual events, while redshirt junior Tristen DiSibio posted an individual win and a relay victory. WVU won both men’s diving events, thanks to seniors Logan McHenry and Michael Proietto winning 1-meter and 3-meter, respectively.
For the West Virginia women, sophomore Morgan Bullock posted two individual wins and finished second in one individual event and in a relay to pace the squad.
Competition in the pool began with the 200 medley relay. After the women posted a second-place finish, the men followed with their pool-record time to win the event. Freshman Angelo Russo, DiSibio, Dixon and El Merini touched the wall in 1:29.94, winning by more than two seconds and breaking the WVU Natatorium record by nearly a second.
WVU’s second pool record of the day came in the women’s 200 butterfly, thanks to Bullock. Her 2:00.47 paced a 1-2 finish for the Mountaineers. Junior Morgan Carr placed second with a 2:02.83.
West Virginia wasted no time recording its third pool record with a win in the next event, the men’s 200 butterfly. Dixon’s 1:45.80 led the way for a victory by nearly five seconds.
Hene earned the win in the men’s 100 backstroke, touching the wall in 50.53. In a tight race, he brought home his first win of the day by just 0.19 seconds.
The Mountaineer men notched another win in their next event, thanks to DiSibio. He finished the 100 breaststroke in 55.68 to claim his second victory of the meet and first individually.
Following a pair of pool records in the women’s and men’s 200 butterfly, West Virginia posted a 1-2-3 finish in the men’s 50 freestyle. El Merini’s second win of the day came in 20.39, followed by junior Drew Damich with a 20.83 and sophomore Sam Neaveill’s 20.95.
El Merini followed with another win in the 100 freestyle, his second individual victory and third overall. His time of 45.75 came ahead of Damich, who finished second with a 46.01 to fuel a 1-2 WVU finish.
In the next men’s event, Hene earned his second win of the day in the 200 backstroke. He touched the wall in 1:49.82.
Later on, Bullock notched her second win of the day in the 100 butterfly. Her 55.67 helped WVU to a 1-2 finish, as senior Amelie Currat followed in second place with a 56.83.
The men also recorded a win in the 100 butterfly, courtesy of Dixon’s second individual victory. He touched the wall in 48.66 to win by nearly two seconds.
The meet concluded with a final victory for the men in the 400 freestyle relay. Damich, freshman Max Gustafson, Neaveill and El Merini won with a 3:03.08, winning a tightly-contested race by 0.62 seconds. For the women, the Mountaineers scored a second-place finish in the event with a time of 3:32.06.
McHenry and Proietto led the way for the Mountaineers on springboard. McHenry won 1-meter with a 317.77, while Proietto was second with a 302.70. On 3-meter, Proietto’s 356.40 earned first place, while McHenry’s 308.55 was second. Freshman Caleb Keck finished third with a 298.88 to help WVU to a 1-2-3 showing.
“Tonight’s meet was a big one for the divers,” WVU diving coach Michael Grapner said. “I’m thrilled with the outcome for both the men and women. Logan McHenry is just returning for both 1- and 3-meter and stepped up and capitalized on his 1-meter performance. Mike Proietto was very consistent on his lists, and I was really happy to see him apply the corrections we have been working on this week. For Mike and Logan to both walk away with victories tonight is a great sweep for the WVU men.
“The women had their work cut out for them tonight. Pitt brought four competitive girls. We started out a little tense, but as the meet progressed, all the ladies started to settle in and rise to the competition. I’m really happy with their hard work and focus, especially as we head into next weekend with Iowa State and Villanova coming to town.”
For the women on springboard, junior Madelyn Woods’ 252.37 led WVU with a second-place finish on 1-meter, while junior Julia Calcut placed second on 3-meter with a 281.55.
Junior Emma Harris earned a pair of second-place finishes for the WVU women, in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.35) and the 200 breaststroke (2:22.30). Sophomore Julia Nilton finished second in the 100 freestyle with a 53.19, while Currat posted a 1:59.93 for a runner-up finish in the 200 backstroke. Bullock added a runner-up finish in the 200 individual medley (2:03.53).
Up next, the Mountaineers host Iowa State and Villanova on Saturday, Jan. 27. The Senior Day meet commences at 11 a.m. ET at the WVU Natatorium.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visitWVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram.
The Mountaineer men won 11 events and set three pool records to earn a 187-113 victory in the Backyard Brawl. The WVU women won two events in a 193-107 defeat.
“I am really proud of both teams today, we discussed focusing on creating our own environment and I think both teams did a great job of that today,” WVU coach Vic Riggs said. “Morgan Bullock and Amelie (Currat) continue to compete at a high level with our underclassmen improving meet to meet. For both teams we discussed improving upon our times from last weekend, and as a team we did that by setting three pool records, two for the men and one by the women.
“For the men to come out with a victory today was fantastic. Coming out with a 1-2 finish in the 200 medley relay really set the tone for the rest of the meet. David (Dixon), Merwane (El Merini), Tristen (DiSibio), Luke (Hene), Logan (McHenry) and Michael (Proietto) had key victories today. (Diving coach Michael Grapner) and our divers did a great job on the boards today and were a key factor in securing the victory for the men. Overall it was a very solid performance for both teams.”
The men’s win over Pitt was their second in three years and eighth all-time. Four of those wins have come in Riggs’ 11 seasons.
Junior Merwane El Merini led the Mountaineers with two individual wins and a pair of relay victories, while freshman David Dixon notched two individual wins and contributed to one relay win. Sophomore Luke Hene also won two individual events, while redshirt junior Tristen DiSibio posted an individual win and a relay victory. WVU won both men’s diving events, thanks to seniors Logan McHenry and Michael Proietto winning 1-meter and 3-meter, respectively.
For the West Virginia women, sophomore Morgan Bullock posted two individual wins and finished second in one individual event and in a relay to pace the squad.
Competition in the pool began with the 200 medley relay. After the women posted a second-place finish, the men followed with their pool-record time to win the event. Freshman Angelo Russo, DiSibio, Dixon and El Merini touched the wall in 1:29.94, winning by more than two seconds and breaking the WVU Natatorium record by nearly a second.
WVU’s second pool record of the day came in the women’s 200 butterfly, thanks to Bullock. Her 2:00.47 paced a 1-2 finish for the Mountaineers. Junior Morgan Carr placed second with a 2:02.83.
West Virginia wasted no time recording its third pool record with a win in the next event, the men’s 200 butterfly. Dixon’s 1:45.80 led the way for a victory by nearly five seconds.
Hene earned the win in the men’s 100 backstroke, touching the wall in 50.53. In a tight race, he brought home his first win of the day by just 0.19 seconds.
The Mountaineer men notched another win in their next event, thanks to DiSibio. He finished the 100 breaststroke in 55.68 to claim his second victory of the meet and first individually.
Following a pair of pool records in the women’s and men’s 200 butterfly, West Virginia posted a 1-2-3 finish in the men’s 50 freestyle. El Merini’s second win of the day came in 20.39, followed by junior Drew Damich with a 20.83 and sophomore Sam Neaveill’s 20.95.
El Merini followed with another win in the 100 freestyle, his second individual victory and third overall. His time of 45.75 came ahead of Damich, who finished second with a 46.01 to fuel a 1-2 WVU finish.
In the next men’s event, Hene earned his second win of the day in the 200 backstroke. He touched the wall in 1:49.82.
Later on, Bullock notched her second win of the day in the 100 butterfly. Her 55.67 helped WVU to a 1-2 finish, as senior Amelie Currat followed in second place with a 56.83.
The men also recorded a win in the 100 butterfly, courtesy of Dixon’s second individual victory. He touched the wall in 48.66 to win by nearly two seconds.
The meet concluded with a final victory for the men in the 400 freestyle relay. Damich, freshman Max Gustafson, Neaveill and El Merini won with a 3:03.08, winning a tightly-contested race by 0.62 seconds. For the women, the Mountaineers scored a second-place finish in the event with a time of 3:32.06.
McHenry and Proietto led the way for the Mountaineers on springboard. McHenry won 1-meter with a 317.77, while Proietto was second with a 302.70. On 3-meter, Proietto’s 356.40 earned first place, while McHenry’s 308.55 was second. Freshman Caleb Keck finished third with a 298.88 to help WVU to a 1-2-3 showing.
“Tonight’s meet was a big one for the divers,” WVU diving coach Michael Grapner said. “I’m thrilled with the outcome for both the men and women. Logan McHenry is just returning for both 1- and 3-meter and stepped up and capitalized on his 1-meter performance. Mike Proietto was very consistent on his lists, and I was really happy to see him apply the corrections we have been working on this week. For Mike and Logan to both walk away with victories tonight is a great sweep for the WVU men.
“The women had their work cut out for them tonight. Pitt brought four competitive girls. We started out a little tense, but as the meet progressed, all the ladies started to settle in and rise to the competition. I’m really happy with their hard work and focus, especially as we head into next weekend with Iowa State and Villanova coming to town.”
For the women on springboard, junior Madelyn Woods’ 252.37 led WVU with a second-place finish on 1-meter, while junior Julia Calcut placed second on 3-meter with a 281.55.
Junior Emma Harris earned a pair of second-place finishes for the WVU women, in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.35) and the 200 breaststroke (2:22.30). Sophomore Julia Nilton finished second in the 100 freestyle with a 53.19, while Currat posted a 1:59.93 for a runner-up finish in the 200 backstroke. Bullock added a runner-up finish in the 200 individual medley (2:03.53).
Up next, the Mountaineers host Iowa State and Villanova on Saturday, Jan. 27. The Senior Day meet commences at 11 a.m. ET at the WVU Natatorium.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visitWVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram.
