The WVU swimming and diving team has rounded out its regular season this January. Following a loss to Penn State, the men’s swimming and diving finished with an overall record of 3-2. The women’s swimming and diving squad also fell to Penn State, finishing their regular season with an overall record of 3-4. Read more September recap: WVU Swimming and Diving.
January meet results
On January 10, WVU hosted Pitt in Morgantown for the Backyard Brawl. The men lost 180-119. Despite the loss, the Mountaineers still walked away with a few successes. Freshman Jake Salcedo won the men’s 1000-yard freestyle, and Joey Stebbins won the men’s 200 backstroke. Liam Aleman also won the men’s 200 breaststroke.
The women’s swimming and diving team had less success with Pitt. They fell 206-93 and only finished with one event win from Maddie Smutny in the 200-yard butterfly.
Big 12 East Showdown
The Big 12 East Showdown was hosted in Houston, Texas, on January 16-17. The men placed third out of three teams, while the women came in fourth out of five teams.
Stebbins finished 3rd in the 200 individual medley, Felix Vicknair finished 3rd in the 200 fly, and WVU placed 2nd in the men’s 400 free relay.
Olivia Busch placed 3rd in the women’s 1650 free, and Gabriela Martin also placed third in the women’s 100 free.
Senior day vs. Villanova and Duquesne
The men challenged and defeated Villanova, 231-67. Vedaant Madhavan won the 1650-yard freestyle, and Parker Sterlitz won the 500 free. Stebbins came out victorious in the 200 backstroke. He finished with a time of 1:45.36, which placed him eighth all-time.
The women defeated Duquesne, 184-115. They lost to Villanova in a close match: 160-140. Martin won the women’s 100 free (50.49) and 200 free (1:48.89).
On the diving side, Stravroula (Stevi) Chalemou won the 1-meter diving. Abigail Sullivan and Levi Hellmann also scored in diving.
Related: From hunter to hunted: WVU Baseball begins its Big 12 title defense.
Final regular season match vs. Penn State
The men fell 163-137 to Penn State. Salcedo won the men’s 1000 free with a time of 9:13.38 and became the second-fastest in program history. He also won the 500 free with a time of 4:29.75. Christian Simpson won the men’s 200 free, and Vicknair won the 200 butterfly (1:47.77).
In yet another close match, the women ultimately fell to Penn State, 157-140. Martin won the women’s 200 free with a time of 1:48.52 and the women’s 100 free with a time of 50.39. Smutny won the women’s 200 butterfly (2:00.81).
Standout performers
Jake Salcedo, a freshman, had an extremely impressive month. He finished with multiple individual wins, including the 1000 free and 500 free. He also became the second-fastest in the 1000 free in program history.
Joey Stebbins finished on the podium at the Big 12 East competition and secured wins against Villanova. Felix Vicknair also placed on the podium at the Big 12 East competition and secured a win during the Penn State match.
Gabriela Martin secured multiple wins on Senior Day and against Penn State, along with Maddie Smutny, who was an event winner vs. Pitt and Penn State.
Looking ahead
The Mountaineers will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to compete in the Virginia Tech Diving Invitational. Following this competition, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will compete in the Big 12 Championships, followed by NCAA competitions.
Behind strong senior leadership and breakout performances from younger swimmers, West Virginia heads into the postseason positioned to build on the progress made in January.
