Richey Finishes Pitt Career with Great Final Swim at NCAAs

Wednesday, March 14

Columbus, Ohio

Pitt

NCAA Women's Championships

Richey Finishes Pitt Career with Great Final Swim at NCAAs

3/17/2018 9:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

Full Results (PDF)

Senior Places 20th in the 1,650 Free for Best NCAA Finish

COLUMBUS—In her final collegiate swim, Pitt senior Amanda Richey posted her best individual finish in her three NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships appearances by placing 20th in the 1,650-yard freestyle mile with one of the best times of her career—16:06.24—on Saturday at Ohio State's McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

Richey, who also finished 29th in the 500-yard freestyle earlier in the meet, concluded her historic Pitt career with a pair of top-30 finishes at college swimming's premier meet. A native of Boulder, Colo., Richey will graduate with the Pitt school records in the 500 free, 1,650 free and 400 individual medley.

Also capping a wonderful Pitt career Saturday was Lina Rathsack, a native of Gorlitz, Germany, who took 38th in the 200-yard breaststroke with a prelims time of 2:11.56. Rathsack had placed 23rd in the 100 breast Friday and 62nd in the 200 IM Thursday after qualifying for NCAAs in three events for the third consecutive season.

Along with senior diver Meme Sharp, who also made her third straight NCAAs appearance this week, Pitt head coach John Hargis commended each of Pitt's three history-making women's seniors.

"All of them have meant so much to the program as individuals and as student-athletes," Hargis said of Rathsack, Richey and Sharp. "They will leave here as some of the most decorated athletes in Pitt Athletics history—not just swimming & diving. All of our athletes could learn from the dedication and persistence each of them showed in the pursuit of excellence."

"From here though, we have to move forward," Hargis added in looking towards to the future. "The staff has extremely high expectations of where we want to take the program. As a team, we're still very young and learning what competing at this level means and how to attack those expectations of success. The spring and summer will be a great opportunity for us to continue to learn and grow. We're excited to work with our returners and the athletes we have coming in. The program is moving in a great direction."

Pitt diving coach Katie Hazelton also had an optimistic outlook after watching her two athletes—freshman Lydia Rosenthall and senior Meme Sharp—compete at NCAAs this week.

"Meme has achieved so much and has an amazing future ahead of her," Hazelton said of Sharp, the greatest women's diver in Pitt history. "She set the standard for what Pitt diving can be. We expect to be champions, and Meme accomplished that and so much more. She was truly an amazing role model and representative of this program."

"It was a very good learning experience for Lydia," Hazelton added of Rosenthall, Pitt's fantastic freshman from England. "She scored higher on 1-meter than she did at ACCs and Zones, proving that she is certainly improving. She definitely showed that she can compete with the best divers in the country, and I know that she'll only get better. This is just the start of what she can accomplish."

A full listing of Pitt's results at NCAAs in Columbus this week is available below.

Pitt at the 2018 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
Thursday Swimming Prelims