Villanova, Xavier Have Strong Nights At Big East Championships
By Chandler Brandes, Swimming World College Intern
After strong nights on the second day of the 2016 Big East Swimming and Diving Championships, the Villanova women and the Xavier men take the lead.
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Below are the top 3 finishers in each event.
Women’s 500 Free
Villanova started the meet by sweeping the 500 free. Emily Mayo, who also won this event in 2015, took first in 4:46.37.
1. Emily Mayo (4:46.37), Villanova
2. Caitlin Daday (4:50.58), Villanova
3. Mary Snyder (4:52.74), Villanova
Men’s 500 Free
Seton Hall’s Noah Yanchulis, who did not swim this event last year, edged out the runner-up to take the title. The sophomore won in 4:26.75.
1. Noah Yanchulis (4:26.75), Seton Hall
2. Jacob Kohlhoff (4:26.84), Georgetown
3. Alexander Wolfred (4:31.46), Xavier
Women’s 200 IM
The Wildcats also swept this event, as Darby Goodwin was the only swimmer under 2 minutes. The freshman clocked in at 1:59.99.
1. Darby Goodwin (1:59.99), Villanova
2. Gabrielle Daigneault (2:02.07), Villanova
3. Elise Pidutti (2:02.08), Villanova
Men’s 200 IM
Seton Hall won their second individual event of the night as Lior Grubert held off Villanova’s John Hoin. The freshman took the title in 1:50.12.
1. Lior Grubert (1:50.12), Seton Hall
2. John Hoin (1:50.39), Villanova
3. Samuel Delise (1:51.29), Georgetown
Women’s 50 Free
Villanova took the top two spots in the women’s sprint event led by Kaisla Kollanus, the 2015 Big East Swimmer of the Meet. The senior won in 22.63.
1. Kaisla Kollanus (22.63), Villanova
2. Taylor Wilson (22.82), Villanova
3. Erica Fabbri (23.01), Georgetown
Men’s 50 Free
Xavier swept the men’s sprint event for the second year in a row, led by Luke Johanns in 20.10. This was the senior’s third-straight Big East title in the event.
1. Luke Johanns (20.10), Xavier
2. Rodrigo Suriano (20.36), Xavier
3. Albert Hitt (20.44), Xavier
Men’s 3m Diving
After placing first in prelims, Georgetown’s Jared Cooper-Vespa dominated the men’s 3m diving event, winning by nearly 100 points. The junior, who finished second in 2015, claimed the title with a score of 644.25.
1. Jared Cooper-Vespa (644.25), Georgetown
2. Ryan Blom (550.85), Georgetown
3. Eric Davidson (533.05), Seton Hall
Women’s 200 Free Relay
Villanova’s Alexandra Fabbri (23.03), Fiona Hardie (22.94), Taylor Wilson (22.38), and Kollanus (22.34) combined to win in 1:30.69. Georgetown’s Fabbri (23.08), Kristin Peterson (23.64), Dorothy Morgan (23.41), and Bailey Page (22.59) finished second in 1:32.72.
Men’s 200 Free Relay
Xavier’s Johanns (20.04), Sam Johanns (21.44), Hitt (19.90), and Suriano (19.85) won the final event of the night in 1:21.23. Georgetown’s Henry Rogatz (21.25), Michael Smigelski (20.82), David Chung (20.44), and William Leach (20.26) took second in 1:22.77.
Current Women’s Team Standings:
1. Villanova-366
2. Georgetown-247
3. Xavier-150.5
4. Seton Hall-134.5
5. Providence-122
6. Butler-97
Current Men’s Team Standings:
1. Xavier-287
2. Georgetown-263
3. Seton Hall-210
4. Villanova-174
5. Providence-63



