Wheeling Swimming Opens Residence Slate with Tri-Meet In opposition to Chatham/Bethany

Wheeling, W. Va. – Through their first three occasions of the season, the Wheeling University Men’s and Women’s Swimming groups ((4-0, 2-0) (3-1, 1-1)) will get their first swims within the dwelling pool for the primary time this season. The Cardinals will host tri-meet motion in opposition to Bethany College and Chatham University, with first swims starting at 4 PM. Both groups need to construct off sizzling begins to the season as they put together for a Mountain East Conference (MEC) stretch main as much as the midseason meet.

The Cardinals took every week off final week, and have been final within the pool on October 15^th in opposition to Washington & Jefferson and Bethany College. On the lads’s aspect, the Cardinals would choose up seven gold medal performances throughout the 9 races, beating Washington & Jefferson 125-91 and Bethany 143-6. Wheeling would begin and finish the day with relay victories, whereas 4 particular person swimmers would cut up the ultimate 5 gold medals of the day. On the ladies’s aspect, the Cardinals had related success, with eight wins being cut up amongst 4 gamers because the Cardinals beat Washington & Jefferson 129.5-76.5, whereas taking down Bethany 139-11. The senior management led the hassle, with all the person wins coming from returners because the Cardinals moved to 3-1 on the season.

On the lads’s aspect, it was Aris Dimakis main the hassle, ending as the one Cardinal with a number of wins on the day. Dimakis would excel within the dash occasions on the day, profitable in each the 50-Yard Freestyle and the 50-Yard Backstroke. The Freestyle as up first, the place Dimakis completed with a time of twenty-two.23 seconds, beating out his teammate by .06 seconds. He would come again for the 50-Yard Backstroke, and earned his second gold medal with a time of 25.73 to spherical out the hassle. The different three particular person honors can be cut up between three totally different swimmers, with Meiko Schonekes, Felix Norlin, and Archie Pigott every profitable occasions on the day. Schonekes picked up his first collegiate win within the 50-Yard Butterfly (23.96), Piggot would win the 200-Yard Individual Medley (2:04.10), and Norlin would take the 50-Yard Breaststroke (28.05) to spherical out the day.

For the ladies, it was senior Gabby Baiano main the way in which with a pair of wins throughout each mid-distance and lengthy distance occasions. Baiano’s first win would come within the 1000-Yard Freestyle, the place she swam a time of 11:05.46. She would take the crown by three seconds and got here again later within the 200-Yard Freestyle and picked up her second win of the day. She would swim a time of 58.11, beating teammate Caitlin Oltman by .74 seconds, to spherical out her day. The different Cardinals to select up a number of wins on the day have been Niki Chrysafi, Lydie Specher, and Caitlin Oltman. It helped the Cardinals win all however one of many occasions that have been swam on the tri-meet as they picked up their first tri-meet sweep of the season.

Saturday will mark the third tri-meet in a row for the Cardinals, courting again to their MEC opener in opposition to Frostburg State and West Virginia Wesleyan on October 11^th. With just one loss mixed between the 2 groups throughout that stretch, the Cardinals are profiting from their alternatives and are scoring factors early. However, the highway would not get any simpler, with two convention groups nonetheless on the schedule earlier than the annual mid-season meet, hosted by Malone University. In the early convention standings, the Men’s Team sits atop the MEC standings with 507 factors whereas the ladies sit third with 445.80 factors by means of 4 occasions. Both groups shall be trying to climb the convention ladder as they proceed pushing in direction of the 2025 MEC/GMAC Swimming and Diving Championships.

The Matchups

Bethany: The Cardinals and Bison are assembly for the eighth time this season, with each packages main the all-time sequence. The males are 6-2 in opposition to Bethany, whereas the ladies maintain an ideal 8-0 mark. One of the lads’s two loses have come of their dwelling pool, whereas the ladies have gained every of the earlier three conferences within the Alma Grace McDonough Center Natatorium. Both groups are averaging over 100 factors within the all-time sequence, with the lads averaging 105.12 factors per recreation whereas the ladies are averaging 134.5 per meet. Both groups are assembly for the second time this yr, with the lads beating Bethany 143-6 whereas the ladies beat the Bison 139-11 again on October 15^th.

Chatham: The Cardinals and Cougars are assembly for the second time in program historical past, with each the lads’s and girls’s groups main the all-time sequence at 2-0. It would be the first time that the Cougars have come to the Alma Grace McDonough Center, with the Cardinals choosing up one away win and one impartial web site win. The males are averaging 108.0 factors per meet in opposition to the Cougars, whereas the ladies common 123.5 factors per recreation. The final assembly between the 2 packages got here on October 26^th, 2024, with the ladies choosing up a 129-86 win, whereas the lads took a 124-37 win.

The Details

First swims for Saturday’s occasion are scheduled for 4 PM contained in the Alma Grace McDonough Center Natatorium. You can watch the occasion reside by clicking HERE.