Panthers Defeat Denison in Sprint Duals

Friday, January 19

Pittsburgh, Pa.

4 p.m.

Pitt

Denison

Panthers Defeat Denison in Sprint Duals

1/19/2018 9:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

Results (PDF)

Full Results (PDF)

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt men's and women's swimming & diving teams both picked up decisive dual victories over Division III power Denison on Friday night at Trees Pool.

The Panthers impressed during their first home meet of the 2018 calendar year, with the Pitt women (10-2) earning a 204-94 win while the Pitt men (6-3) triumphed by a 192-101 decision.

On a busy weekend of dual meets for both teams, the Panthers and Big Red agreed to a special sprint meet event, which cut the distance in half for many of Friday's swimming races.

"Tonight was fun for our team," Pitt head coach John Hargis said. "The athletes enjoyed competing in some different events. It's a tough time of year because we're training really hard before we begin tapering ahead of the ACC Championships, so it was nice to have this type of meet while picking up solid team wins."

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Several Panthers flourished in their sprints as Pitt won 28 of the 32 overall events Friday.

Sophomores Valerie Daigneault, Samy Helmbacher and Shan Hochkeppel each won multiple individual events. Daigneault triumphed in the 100 free (51.24) and 100 IM (57.60), Helmbacher took top spot in the 500 free (4:29.59) and 100 IM (51.01) and Hochkeppel swept the 50 back (26.66) and 100 back (56.72). Senior distance freestyle swimmer Amanda Richey showcased her ability to compete with the sprinters as well, winning the 200 free (1:50.86) and 300 free (2:52.89), while freshman Sam Howe dominated the 50 fly (25.11) and 100 fly (55.93).

Numerous other Panthers earned event victories in the swimming events as the Pitt coaching staff mixed and matched its lineup on Friday evening.

In diving, Pitt senior Meme Sharp and freshman Noah Marble each took individual titles in both of their respective events. Sharp triumphed in the women's springboard, winning the 3-meter competition with 300.45 points and cruising to victory on 1-meter with 308.70 points. Marble earned his triumphs on 1-meter with 297.38 points and 3-meter with a personal-best total of 336.15 points.

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Sophomore Sam Jenkins also produced a career night for the Panthers, finishing second in both men's diving events with personal-best marks of 243.38 on 1-meter and 245.85 on 3-meter.

"Meme and Noah really stood out tonight and produced some very impressive dives," Pitt diving coach Katie Hazelton said. "Overall, I'm pleased with where we stand, and I'm looking forward to seeing our divers improve their consistency over the next couple of weeks as we continue to prepare with the goal of peaking at the ACC Championships."

The Panthers will return to action next weekend for their final home meet of the season. Pitt swimming & diving hosts the Western Pennsylvania Invitational at Trees Pool as several local teams come to Pittsburgh for the annual meet.

The 2018 Western PA Invite will begin with diving on Friday at 1 p.m. before swimming events are held at Trees Pool Saturday starting at 11 a.m.

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