University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
West Virginia (Diving Only)
Pitt To Begin Season with Backyard Brawl
1/12/2021 1:23:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
PITTSBURGH – University of Pittsburgh swimming and diving begins its 2020-21 season with a two-day meet against local rival West Virginia on Wednesday and Thursday.
The first day of the Backyard Brawl is strictly diving at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park in Morgantown, W.Va. starting at 10:30 a.m. Trees Pool hosts the swimming portion of the dual meet the next day, beginning with the women at 11 a.m. followed by the men at 3 p.m.
Both days have live streams, with West Virginia streaming from its Facebook page (Click here) and Pitt broadcasting through the ACC Network Extra.
The History of the Backyard Brawl
This week's meet marks the 27th consecutive season that Pitt and West Virginia have met in swimming & diving. During that time, Pitt has dominated the Backyard Brawl, leading the women's series 22-4 that includes an active eight-meet winning streak and the men leading 21-5.
Pitt's fifth-year head coach John Hargis owns a 6-2 overall record (4-0 women's, 2-2 men's) against West Virginia. The last time the Panthers hosted the rivalry at Trees Pool two years ago, they swept the Mountaineers with a 197.5-102.5 victory for the women and 175-125 win by the men.
Women's Preview
The women return 18 swimmers and divers from a year ago. Junior divers Serena Buchwald and Amy Read lead the divers. Buchwald took first-place in the 3-meter dive at the Western PA Invite on Jan. 24, with a total of 313.95 points. She also took third in the platform event with a tally of 477.70 on March 11 at the NCAA Zone Diving Meet. Read's top diving marks last season included 303.30 points in the 1-meter dive and 258.38 points in the platform, both of which were team-highs. Read finished sixth at the ACC Championships in the 10-meter (six dive) event with a score of 223.60. The diver from Leeds, England, had multiple first-place showings throughout the season, including three in the 1-meter, two in the 3-meter and two in the platform. At the NCAA Zone Diving Meet, Read totaled a final 10-dive score of 503.45 in the women's platform, taking first-place and qualifying for nationals. Both Buchwald and Read were named CSCAA All-Americans and were set to compete at the NCAA Championships before the abrupt end of the season due to COVID-19.
Junior Madison Nalls and sophomore Kate Fuhrmann headline the female swimmers. Nalls finished with a team-high time of 50.17 in the 100 free, .41 seconds behind recent graduate Valerie Daigneault's school record time. Nalls swam a personal best time of 1:47.81 in the 200 free at the ACC Championships, finishing 19th. The York, Pa., native tallied three first-place finishes in the 100 free and earned a second-place finish in the 1000 free with a time of 10:31.79. Fuhrmann clocked in multiple team-highs last season, including the 50 free (22.83) and the 100 breast (1:02.72). She finished first three times in the 100 breast in the month of January, including at West Virginia, vs. Denison and in the Western PA Invite. Fuhrmann was also a part of multiple top-time relay teams, most notably the 200 free relay (1.30.40) that finished just .35 seconds behind the Pitt school record set in 2019.
Men's Preview
The men see 19 swimmers & divers returning to the team. Among the swimming returners are senior Blaise Vera and sophomore Wojciech Dutkowiak. Vera turned in multiple top-10 finishes at the ACC Men's Championships last year, finishing sixth-place in the 50 free (19.54), sixth in the 100 fly with a season-best time of 46.21 and a ninth-place time of 42.61 in the 100 free. Vera finished first in all but one of his individual races, earning first in the 50 free seven times, six times in the 100 free and once in the 100 fly. The product of Clinton, Mo., product was named on the CSCAA All-America Team and was set to compete in the NCAA Championships in the 50-free and 100-free before the season was brought to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dutkowiak, clocked in multiple top times and first-place finishes for the Panthers, particularly in the long distance races. Dutkowiak led Pitt last year in the 500 free (4:26.72) and 1,000 free (9:18.88). The Wroclaw, Poland, native finished first five separate times throughout the year and placed 20th at the ACC Championships in the 1,650 free with a personal best time of 15:23.54.
Sophomore Dylan Reed is the top male diver returning from last year. Reed took first four times throughout last season, earning the top spot in the 1-meter and 3-meter event twice each. Reed's top scores include 363.35 points in the 1-meter and 371.10 in the 3-meter.
Players Mentioned
