Connecticut vs. Army

WEST POINT, New York, November 5. THE Army men's and women's swimming and diving teams split a dual match with Connecticut on Saturday afternoon at Crandall Pool. The Army men recorded a 176.5-123.5 victory over UConn, while the Black Knight women dropped a 182.5-109.5 decision to the visiting Huskies.

Army's men, who captured 10 of the 16 events in the meet, improve to 5-0 on the season. The Black Knight women, meanwhile, fall to 2-4 on the year.

"Beating UConn is a great win for our guys," said Army head coach Mickey Wender. "I want to acknowledge our senior leaders, who have done a tremendous job of making sure everyone is on the same page. I also cannot say enough about our plebes, who have embraced everything the Army swimming and diving program stands for. They have provided a great lift for our team early in the season."

Junior Dan Foky and freshman Will Viana led the way for the Army men in the pool as each swimmer turned in a pair of victories. Foky swept the freestyle sprints, posting season-best times in both the 50 free (21.29 seconds) and 100 free (46.55). Viana showed his versatility by besting the field in the 200 back (1:52.49) and 500 free (4:43.66). Viana's time in the 200 back represents a personal best and moves the freshman into ninth place on Army's all-time list.

Freshmen Casey Woudenberg and Spencer LeeMurakami both secured wins in the pool as well. Woudenberg earned the first-place ribbon in the 1000 free, touching the wall in a personal-best time of 9:36.51. LeeMurakami, meanwhile, edged junior Ayman Andrews to win gold in the 200 fly with a personal-best clocking of 1:54.15. Andrews finished runner-up in the 200 fly (1:54.20) and was victorious in the 100 fly (49.94). Both of Andrews' times established season bests.

Andrews led an Army sweep of the top three positions in the 100 fly, with freshman Michael Dustin (51.74) and sophomore Wesley Trumbauer (52.10) placing second and third, respectively.

Sophomore Kenny Yacynych rounded out the Black Knights' list of winners in the pool as the second-year standout won the 100-yard breaststroke with a season-best clocking of 51.46.

"I thought Casey's win in the 1000 free really sparked us after a tough loss in the opening relay," added Wender. "Will had an amazing day as well; he just keeps getting better."

Army's divers were impressive on Saturday as well, as Black Knight junior Chris Nguyen swept both events. The reigning Patriot League Diver of the Meet racked up a season-high score of 351.22 points en route to winning the three-meter discipline. Freshman Joshua Urnezis finished a distant second, placing runner-up with a personal-best point total of 309.38. Nguyen finished off his sweep by winning gold off the one-meter board (309.75).

On the women's side, Connecticut won 10 of the first 11 swimming events before swimming exhibition over the final three races. Army's lone win prior to the exhibition races was produced by sophomore Juliette Wallerstein, who took gold in the 100 free with a season-best time of 53.78.

Junior Alyssa Tran and freshman Sam Allen both notched second-place finishes early in the meet with Tran placing runner-up in the 50 free (24.41) and Allen taking second in the 100 breast with a personal-best clocking of 1:08.58. Tran and Allen each picked up a win during the exhibition events with Tran earning gold in the 100 fly (59.03) and Allen winning the 200 IM (2:12.73).

"Our women's team has created a team culture that is very exciting," said Wender. "While the results aren't quite there yet, they are doing great things both in and out of the pool and I'm proud of them."

The Army women will return to action on Friday, Nov. 18, at C.W. Post. The Black Knight men will be back in the pool on Saturday, Nov. 19, when they travel to take on Columbia.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use