Rutgers vs. Wagner

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, December 5. THE Rutgers swimming team defeated Wagner, 121-99, in head-to-head action at the Rutgers Aquatic Center Friday evening. The Scarlet Knights grabbed 12 first-place finishes in the meet. The story of the night came from sophomore Brianne Lindblad (Kent, Wash.), who qualified for the BIG EAST Championships and won three events for the Scarlet Knights.

"We did some good things tonight," said head coach Chuck Warner. "This was the first swim meet that Michaela Nilsson swam this year and that was very important for her – she has been injured most of the year. Brianne Lindblad won two (individual) events and swam well."

Lindblad's 200 yard IM time of 2:12.33 qualified her for BIG EAST postseason action. Lindblad also won the 50 free with a time of 24.23 and swam with the 200 medley relay team for a first-place finish.

Rookie Melanie Gaffey (Bohemia, N.Y.) started the individual competition off with a win in the 200 freestyle (1:56.85). Classmate Jessica Simunek (Cherry Hill, N.J.) beat her seed time by four seconds to finish second with a time of 1:58.86.

In the 100 back, sophomore Michaela Nilsson (Charlotte, N.C.) took first with a time of 59.72. Senior Shayna Longacre (Barto, Pa.) shaved more than a second off her seed time, finishing second with a time of 1:00.93.

Freshman Brittney Kuras (Canandaigua, N.Y.) swam the 100 breast in 1:05.38 for the win – her fastest time ever. Senior Jackie Klein (Campbell Hall, N.Y.) finished just behind (1:09.54) for second.

The Scarlet Knights swept the top three positions in the 50 free. After Lindblad, senior captain Catherine Whetstone (Haven Beach, N.J.) finished just behind with a time of 24.75. Following Whetstone was fellow captain Denise Letendre (Manchester, Mo.) with a time of 25.53.

In the 100 free, Jacquelyn Ward (Berlin, N.J.) grabbed first (53.92), while Megan Caylor (Kenmore, Wash.) took second with a time of 55.89. Cutting down her seed time by 15 seconds, Simunek swam a 5:18.57 in the 500 free to take first place.

Klein took almost a second off her seed time in the 200 back to earn the gold with a time of 2:08.87. Longacre finished just after with a time of 2:09.56 for the silver.

The day started and ended with a relay. The 200 medley team of Caylor, Whetstone, Lindblad, and Tracy Dimond (Allentown, Pa.) touched the wall in 1:50.41 for a first-place finish. Longacre, Klein, Taylor Curado (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Kimberly Case (Springfield, Va.) ranked second with a time of 1:52.27.

To finish the evening, Ward, Gaffey, Nilsson and Simunek took first in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:40.88.

The swim team has over a month off from competition before the team travels to Maryland on Jan. 9. The meet starts at 1 p.m.

Full Results

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