Pitt Women Win Eighth Straight over West Virginia

Saturday, January 4

Morgantown, WV

11 AM

Pitt

West Virginia

Pitt Women Win Eighth Straight over West Virginia

1/4/2020 5:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

Results

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.—The University of Pittsburgh women's swimming & diving team earned its eighth consecutive dual-meet victory in the Backyard Brawl with West Virginia, winning a 175-125 decision on Saturday at WVU's new Aquatic Center at Mylan Park.

The 11 seniors on the Pitt women's roster will all graduate with an undefeated record against their rivals from Morgantown. This marked the 26th consecutive season that Pitt and West Virginia met in a swimming & diving Backyard Brawl dual meet.

Saturday also saw the Pitt men lose in Morgantown, 179.5-120.5, as the home team won for the sixth consecutive year in the men's swimming & diving edition of the rivalry.

"It's always a challenge coming to West Virginia," Pitt head coach John Hargis said after the meet. "The men lost some close races early and that deflated us a bit. We have to be better in times of adversity; that's an area where this team is still growing. I'm proud of the women for taking control of the meet early, but they also need to finish more emphatically. We will use this as a learning experience as we continue training and preparing for the championship season of February and March."

Leading the way for the Pitt women were several seniors. Valerie Daigneault (100 Back, 200 Back), Sarah Giamber (500 Free, 1,000 Free), Madelyn Shaffer (200 Free) and Krista Jones (3-Meter Diving) each won events to help ensure another victory over West Virginia in their Pitt careers.

Also winning events for the victorious Panthers were freshman Kate Fuhrmann (100 Breast) and sophomore Amy Read (1-Meter Diving), which pleased returning Pitt diving coach Katie Hazelton.

"It was great to be back with the team for an intense competition like the Backyard Brawl," said Hazelton, who was out for some of the fall semester while on maternity leave after having her first child. "The divers produced some strong moments, including wins by Krista and Amy that helped the women win the dual, but we certainly have work to do to be ready to perform at our best later this season at the ACC Championships and NCAA Zone Meet, which will be held here at WVU's new pool."

For the Pitt men, freshman Wojciech Dutkowiak swept the distance events (500 Free, 1,000 Free) by winning each race in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion. Junior sprinter Blaise Vera got his 2020 off to a strong start by winning the 50 Free and 100 Free with impressive performances. And freshman Jerry Chen recorded a victory in the 200 Breast with a great swim that stunned the home crowd.

The Panthers also won the women's 200-yard medley relay and the men's 200-yard freestyle relay.

Pitt swimming & diving will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 17 for a sprint dual meet with Division III powerhouse Denison from Ohio. That meet begins a stretch of three weekends in a row that the Panthers will host competition at Trees Pool as they finalize preparations for the ACC Championships.

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