Pool Records Fall in Season-Opening Wins Over Pitt

Saturday, October 3

Durham, N.C.

11:00 AM

Duke University

Pittsburgh

Duke Swimmers Start Strong at Phillips 66 Nationals

Pool Records Fall in Season-Opening Wins Over Pitt

10/3/2015 3:32:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. – The Blue Devils rewrote the Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion record books en route to earning a pair of victories over Pittsburgh Saturday in the season opener for both teams. The Duke men dispatched the Panthers by a decisive 193-101 margin and the women defeated Pittburgh, 178-115.

“They've worked hard in the pool, and it's the little things that make a difference,” said head coach Dan Colella. “They've done a terrific job for the last month and I think we saw the results of that today. What we challenged them on is it's the first meet of the season. It's a long season, but enjoy this feeling. Let' s try to make sure we sustain this throughout the season.”

Duke's 200-yard medley relays kicked off the morning by breaking a pair of Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion records. The Blue Devil men swept the top three spots in the event, with its returning NCAA-qualifying relay of junior Kaz Takabayashi, junior Peter Kropp, senior David Armstrong and junior James Peek surpassing its own facility record with a 1:27.75 showing. Freshman Mickayla Hinkle, junior Ashleigh Shanley, sophomore Leah Goldman and junior Maddie Rusch headlined a one-two finish for the women, touching at 1:41.27 for another Taishoff record.

“I knew we could be quick,” Colella said. “I didn't expect us to be that fast. It's a great group of returning athletes and a phenomenal group of freshmen men and women. Everybody was jazzed for the first meet of the season, and it was exciting to watch.”

Kropp, who also competed as an individual at the 2015 NCAA Championship, picked up right where he left off last season in the 100 breaststroke. The Los Angeles, Calif., native posted the top time in the country to date at 52.13, also breaking his own facility record in the process. Junior Dylan Payne joined Kropp in grabbing an NCAA provisional cut, as he tapped the wall second at 55.36. Kropp returned to the water to claim the 200 breaststroke as well, earning a second NCAA 'B' cut with a time of 1:59.01.

“Last year our opener was against Pitt,” Kropp said. “It was a close meet but the men ended up losing. So to come out here and to start off the meet with that really fast medley relay was huge for us, huge for the momentum. And then I just tried to carry that through to the 100 – get something going, get everyone excited.”

Another pool record went down in the women's 100 backstroke, as Hinkle continued her strong collegiate debut with a 54.55 clocking. That time earned her an NCAA 'B' cut in the event and ranked her third on Duke's all-time performance list. Hinkle added a win later at the 200-yard distance (2:00.29), leading junior Liza Bragg (2:01.94) and sophomore Maria Sheridan (2:05.32) in a Blue Devil sweep.

Freshman Riley Hickman also impressed in his first meet as a Blue Devil, cruising to first-place finishes in the 500 and 1,000 freestyle. His time of 9:26.92 in the 1,000 was good for the sixth-fastest mark in program history. Fellow rookie Maddie Hess worked her way onto Duke's all-time performance list by going 51.20 in the 100 freestyle, and Rusch took the 50-yard race at 23.21. Peek was first to the wall in both sprints on the men's side.

In diving, freshman Evan Moretti edged the field in the men's 1-meter competition, posting a score of 362.33 for an NCAA Zones qualifying mark. Fellow rookie Josh Owsiany also surpassed the Zones standard in third (331.50) and was third behind Pittsburgh's Dominic Giordano and Moretti in the 3-meter competition. On the women's side, sophomore MaryEllen Targonski (290.25) and freshman Mackenzie Willborn (356.70) also collected Zones qualifying scores in winning the 1-meter and 3-meter events, respectively.

“Last year was a little difficult because we didn't have any male divers that competed throughout the year,” said head diving coach Nunzio Esposto. “With three men that are able to score, it makes a big difference. On the women's side, Mackenzie is a great diver. To have her here, it's really going to boost the women's program.”

Other double winners on the day included Takabayashi in the 100 backstroke (48.88) and 100 butterfly (48.62), junior Bradley Cline in the 200 backstroke (1:51.53) and 200 IM (1:53.62) and sophomore Isabella Paez in both women's butterfly events. Goldman added a final Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion record in the women's 200 IM, breaking the 37-year old record with a 2:02.00 performance. Duke capped the meet by sweeping the women's and men's 400 freestyle relays.

The Blue Devils were joined by their fans in fundraising for the Duke Cancer Institute as part of a nationwide initiative of Breast Cancer Awareness POD meets. All proceeds from donations at the door and t-shirt sales Saturday will go to the Duke Cancer Institute, to be earmarked for breast cancer research.

Men's Team Score: Duke 193, Pittsburgh 101
Women's Team Score: Duke 178, Pittsburgh 115

Top Duke Finishers by Event:
Women's 1-Meter Diving: MaryEllen Targonski (1st), 290.25
Men's 1-Meter Diving: Evan Moretti (1st), 362.33

Women's 3-Meter Diving: Mack Willborn (1st), 356.70
Men's 3-Meter Diving: Evan Moretti (2nd), 374.33

Women's 200-Yard Medley Relay: Mickayla Hinkle, Ashleigh Shanley, Leah Goldman, Maddie Rusch (1st), 1:41.27
Men's 200-Yard Medley Relay: Kaz Takabayashi, Peter Kropp, David Armstrong, James Peek (1st), 1:27.75

Women's 1,000-Yard Freestyle: Verity Abel (3rd), 10:18.74
Men's 1,0000-Yard Freestyle: Riley Hickman (1st), 9:26.92

Women's 200-Yard Freestyle: Hunter Aitchison (1st), 1:51.95
Men's 200-Yard Freestyle: Brad Cline (2nd), 1:42.26

Women's 100-Yard Backstroke: Mickayla Hinkle (1st), 54.55
Men's 100-Yard Backstroke: Kaz Takabayashi (1st), 48.88

Women's 100-Yard Breaststroke: Ashleigh Shanley (2nd), 1:03.57
Men's 100-Yard Breaststroke: Peter Kropp (1st), 52.13

Women's 200-Yard Butterfly: Isa Paez (1st), 2:00.45
Men's 200-Yard Butterfly: Kenny Ng (1st), 1:53.29

Women's 50-Yard Freestyle: Maddie Rusch (1st), 23.21
Men's 50-Yard Freestyle: James Peek (1st), 20.20

Women's 100-Yard Freestyle: Maddie Hess (1st), 51.20
Men's 100-Yard Freestyle: James Peek (1st), 45.76

Women's 200-Yard Backstroke: Mickayla Hinkle (1st), 2:00.29
Men's 200-Yard Backstroke: Brad Cline (1st), 1:51.53