VILLANOVA, Pa. - Since netting six first-place finishes in the season-opening quad meet at Pittsburgh on Oct. 12, things have been quiet for Villanova in the pool. However, now that fall break is over and a week without competition has passed, the Wildcats are ready to get back in the water and put together some fast times and stellar dives.
On Nov. 2, Villanova hosts Georgetown for the first of four meets that will be held at the Villanova Swim Complex this season. The diving competition is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the start of the swim meet at around 12 p.m.
Despite the hiatus from competition, Villanova has not taken much time off.
"The two week break after the Pitt meet was a great opportunity to tweak in some areas that we felt needed development," Head Coach
Rick Simpson said. "The first meet of the year will always tell us a lot. Having that time to go back and work on some key areas has really helped."
Since the season opener did not feature team scoring, both the men's and women's teams are looking for their first victory of the season. Villanova got mixed results last year against the Hoyas, with the women picking up a win and the men dropping the contest.
Georgetown is currently undefeated on the year, with wins coming against Towson, American and Davidson. Simpson said that the Hoyas have done a "great job" over the last few years bringing in some of the conference's top athletes to compete in a variety of events. He added that they are very well coached and that his group knows that they need to bring their best this weekend.
However, Villanova has some top-notch swimmers and divers of its own.
Kelly Montesi put together two top finishes in the season-opening quad meet, finishing first in the 200 and 100 butterfly. Milly Routledge claimed first in the 100 freestyle, while the group of Grace Wielar, Anna Turner, Abbey Berloco and Routledge took the top spot in the 400 freestyle relay.
In the 3-meter diving event, Villanova placed three in the top six thanks to Bridie Dunn, Andrea Holtz and Danielle Scarano. Dunn and Holtz also placed in the top three in the 1-meter dive.
Key performers from the men included Justin Cucchi, Stephen Krecsmar and Michael Perra. Cucchi finished first in the 100 backstroke, while Krecsmar took the top spot in the 50 freestyle. Perra placed second in both diving events.
"Saturday should be a great in-conference meet here at home," Simpson said. "It's a great rivalry that with great mutual respect between both teams and both coaching staffs."
