VILLANOVA, Pa. – The he men's and women's swimming and diving teams get back to action this weekend for the first meet of the new year. The women are set to host Richmond on Friday afternoon while the men travel Providence on Saturday.

The women out scored the Spiders, 161-139, one year ago after racking up 10 event wins to secure the victory. This marked Villanova's eighth consecutive win against Richmond in the series.

Villanova returns to action after almost two months away from competition. The women (3-1) closed out the beginning of the season with victories over UConn (154-146), Georgetown (156-44) and La Salle (190-108), with a close loss to Penn (171.5-120.5).

Seniors Molly Benson and Audrey Pastorek have led the way for the Wildcats consistently sweeping their events. Despite the loss to Penn, Pastorek scored a total 27 points with two event wins and two runner-up performances. Against UConn Benson stormed to three event wins in the 100, 200 and 200 freestyle relay.

The men are set to face off against the Friars after a 110-95 victory one year ago. Villanova racked up 22 event wins against Providence, with 10 tallied by the men.

The Wildcats finished the first half of the season 1-3 with a victory over La Salle. Senior Charlie Hinkley and Sophomore Chris Jones have been dominant in the pool and on the podium. Hinckley had a strong outing against the Dragons continuing his winning streak in the 200 and 500 freestyle. Jones swept the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events against Rider, NJIT and La Salle.

Friday's home meet against the Spiders will begin at 11 a.m. from the Villanova Swim Complex. Saturday's meet at Providence will begin at 12 p.m. at the Taylor Natatorium.
 
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