Pitt Finishes Ohio State Invite with More School Records

Friday, November 17

Columbus, OH

Pitt

Ohio State Invitational

Pitt Swimming & Diving Inside the Program

Pitt Finishes Ohio State Invite with More School Records

11/19/2017 9:30:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

Full Results (PDF)

Full Results (PDF)

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Pitt swimming & diving concluded the Ohio State Invitational on Sunday by setting three more school records and qualifying several more Panthers for finals at one of college swimming's most prestigious and competitive fall meets.

Senior swimmer Amanda Richey highlighted Pitt's Sunday success, setting two school records in one swim. The freestyle distance specialist broke the all-time Pitt marks in the 1,000 free and 1,650 free, which she previously held, by completing the first 1,000 yards of the race in 9:41.45 before finishing the freestyle mile in third place with another Panthers' record of 16:01.45.

Joining Richey in making Pitt history was freshman Bence Szucsik, who erased the oldest remaining Pitt all-time swimming mark off the school record books on Sunday morning. Szucsik's preliminary 200-yard back time of 1:44.17 bested Steve Siler's previous Pitt record in the event that had stood since 2000. Szucsik would go on to finish fifth in the championship final.

Also qualifying for finals on Sunday, senior Lina Rathsack took second in the 200-yard breast with a quality time of 2:09.14 that was narrowly off her own Pitt school record, sophomore Luke Smutny placed eighth in the 200 fly in 1:46.81 and senior Boris Kulizhnikov earned ninth in the 200-yard breast with a mark of 2:00.12.

Pitt Head Coach John Hargis
"Overall, we did well this weekend, but we still have a lot of room for improvement as we continue to train throughout the rest of the season. I can't say enough about Amanda and Lina; those seniors both had great meets with some special swims. They're both going faster than they did at the end of last season, which really bodes well for what they can accomplish in the spring. And our young swimmers, like Bence today, are beginning to understand what college swimming is all about. We saw a sneak peek of what our freshmen are capable of when they compete against the best. Overall, we had a lot of swimmers going faster than they've ever gone, which is always great."

Pitt Diving Coach Katie Hazelton
"There were a lot of top divers this weekend that we'll see again at NCAAs, so I'm pleased that we dove well against that level of competition. Meme performed her lists really well on 1-meter and 3-meter, and now we have a few months to sharpen her up for the championship season as she continues to improve her consistency. Today was also our first platform meet, so we definitely learned what we need to work on, but I was pleased that everyone proved they are capable of performing the dives."

Both Pitt swimming & diving teams finished in sixth place at the Ohio State Invitational. The men scored 260 points in finishing ahead of Penn State and West Virginia, while the women tallied 255 points to place ahead of Penn State, Washington State, West Virginia, South Carolina and others.

In total, seven Pitt swimming records fell this weekend in Columbus as the Panthers' swimming & diving programs combined to earn 16 individual top-10 finishes. See below for a full list.

Next up, some Panthers will return to Columbus in two weeks for the USA Swimming Winter Nationals on Wednesday, Nov. 29 through Saturday, Dec. 2.

Pitt Top-10 Finishes at the Ohio State Invitational
Friday
Meme Sharp, 2nd, 3-Meter Diving, 315.00
Samy Helmbacher, 3rd, 200 IM, 1:45.76
Amanda Richey, 3rd, 500 Free, 4:42.24
Lina Rathsack, 4th, 200 IM, 1:57.66

Saturday
Meme Sharp, 2nd, 1-Meter Diving, 288.85
Samy Helmbacher, 3rd, 400 IM, 3:45.80
Lina Rathsack, 3rd, 100 Breast, 1:00.48
Brian Lovasik, 5th, 200 Free, 1:37.28
Brian Ramsey, 6th, 100 Breast, 54.68
Amanda Richey, 9th, 400 IM, 4:18.36
Armin Remenyi, 10th, 200 Free, 1:37.88

Sunday
Lina Rathsack, 2nd, 200 Breast, 2:09.14
Amanda Richey, 3rd, 1650 Free, 16:01.45
Bence Szucsik, 5th, 200 Back, 1:44.63
Luke Smutny, 8th, 200 Fly, 1:46.81
Boris Kulizhnikov, 9th, 200 Breast, 2:00.12

Pitt School Records Set at the Ohio State Invitational
Samy Helmbacher, Men's 200 IM, 1:45.76
Samy Helmbacher, Men's 400 IM, 3:45.80
Lina Rathsack, Women's 200 IM, 1:57.66
Amanda Richey, Women's 1000 Free, 9:41.45
Amanda Richey, Women's 1650 Free, 16:01.45
Bence Szucsik, Men's 200 Back, 1:44.17
Women's 800 Free Relay, 7:14.27

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