Five weeks have come and gone for The Eagles’ 2023-24 Swim and Dive season, and they are already proving their potential.
For the first time in seven years, the Eagles swept at home when they defeated the Catholic University Cardinals Saturday. The women won 137-73, and moved to 2-1 in the season, and the men won 122-70, in their first win of the season.
The Eagles scored big by picking up 20 out of 24 total event wins against the Cardinals with consistent finishes for second and third.
Senior Mimi Watts made history as she took down the pool record in the 100 freestyle. The old record was set in 1999; a 52.23 set by Casey Legler. Watts’s 51.56 is now the fourth pool record she holds. Her other records include the 50 freestyle and the 100 and 200 butterfly.
The freshmen on the team look as though they have already adapted to their competition. On the women’s side, Fiona McMahon won the 200 and 500 freestyle, Lian Jeong Engle won the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke and Rebecca Siegel won the 100 butterfly. For the men, Lucas Standridge won the 100 freestyle and Henry Bysshe won the 100 backstroke.
Head coach Garland Bartlett said she was impressed by their results and is excited to see how they progress into the season.
“They’re just transitioning into the team so well,” Bartlett said. “They really want it, and so it’s really fun to see that they’re excited every single meet and that they’re putting their best foot forward.”
The ultimate strategy for the Eagles, though, was sweeping events. In the women’s 200 individual medley, sophomore Katie Yoo led the way for the win, as teammates Grace Netz, Sasha Uspenskaya and Marley Reese finished right behind her to score big. For the men, an impressive 50 freestyle sweep featuring senior Nick Buckley and freshmen sprint duo Connor Florence and Standridge showed potential, promising more to come later this season.
On the springboard, Peyton Thurman and Griffin Batt swept the top spots for the Eagles. Both divers have etched their names into AU’s All-Time Top 16 once more by setting new personal bests. Thurman’s score of 247.87 on the 1-meter puts her sixth of all time. For Batt, a score of 265.05 on the 1-meter places him fourth of all time, and a score of 279.97 on the 3-meter puts him sixth of all time.
This sweep marks a rebound from a tough meet against Mount St. Mary’s the day before, according to Bartlett. While the women won the meet against the Mountaineers, the men fell short.
“There were a lot of things that we needed to work on in order to be really good today,” Bartlett said. “We can’t take any team for granted. But, I’m looking forward to the next few weeks. They’re going to be exciting for sure.”
The Eagles are away until “Senior Day” on Jan. 13, where they will face the Virginia Military Institute. In the meantime, they continue their journey on Oct. 13 as they visit Georgetown University.
This article was edited by Penelope Jennings, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Pritchard. Copy editing done by Isabelle Kravis and Olivia Citarella.
