University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Duke/Clemson
Swim & Dive Strong in Dual-Finale
01/28/2012 | Women's Swimming & Diving
DURHAM, N.C. - Junior Lauren Hines touched in for a pair of wins in Richmond Swim & Dive's final conference tune-up against Duke and Clemson on Saturday in Durham, N.C. The Spiders dropped a 167.5-117.5 decision to the host Blue Devils and were edged, 153-141, by the Tigers.
"We're happy with the way we came out and raced today, but we know there's a lot of room for improvement," said head coach Matt Barany. "We've come a long way since the beginning of the season, and we'll continue building as a team in order to be fully prepared for the challenges that await us at the conference meet."
Hines (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) opened the day by combining with sophomore Mali Kobelja and seniors Jill Smaniotto and Charlotte Brackett for a second-place showing in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:44.70. The foursome's finish was less than a second off the Blue Devils' top time of 1:43.98.
For the second consecutive weekend, Hines would sweep the back events, clocking a 55.83 for the win in the 100 back and capturing victory in the 200 portion of the event by more than a second with a time of 2:02.37.
Kobelja (Fort Wayne, Ind./R. Nelson Snider) continued her stellar sophomore campaign by turning in four top-three finishes again this week, highlighted by a win in the 200 IM with a time of 2:05.56. She recorded a time of 2:18.72 to lead four Spiders in the top five in the 200 breast to go with a third-place and season-best showing in the 50 free in 24.04.
After an impressive showing in the 1000 free against Rutgers a week ago, senior Alexi Kuska (Westfield, N.J./Westfield Senior) secured a second-place finish in the event on Saturday with a time of 10:27.82. Newcomer Meredith Gouger (Cockeysville, Md./Dulaney) clocked a personal-best time of 10:31.93 to round out the top three.
Reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week Allison Titley (Richmond, Va./Saint Gertrude) touched in 2:05.16 for a second-place finish in the 200 fly before returning to take fifth in the 100 portion of the event with a time of 58.55.
The Spiders closed out the afternoon in much the same way as they started. Hines teamed up with classmate Mina Vucic, senior Liz Cohan and sophomore Laura Jordan for a time of 1:36.54 that tied the Blue Devils for the second spot in the 200 free relay.
In the diving well, freshman Katherine Cook (Kenilworth, Ill./New Trier) posted a season-best score of 240.05 to finish just outside the top five in sixth on the 1-meter board. She would follow that up with a seventh-place showing in 3-meter with a score of 248.15.
With its dual season now complete, Richmond will spend the next several weeks preparing for the Atlantic 10 Championships, scheduled for February 22-25 in Buffalo, N.Y. The Spiders have won nine of the past 10 conference titles since joining the league in 2001-02.
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Players Mentioned
