RESULTS
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's and women's swimming teams opened the NCAA Championships with convincing swims which included two new NCAA DII records and five combined victories. In the women's 50-yard freestyle, junior Danielle Melilli raced to an NCAA record-breaking time of 22.15. In the very next race, Matej Dusa electrified the aquatic center with an NCAA record-breaking time of 18.88.
 
The Royals women kicked off the evening in the 200-yard medley relay with a third-place finish at 1:39.47. Vladyslava Maznytska, Danielle Melilli, Cece Mayer, and Natalie Van Noy were just .11 seconds off from second as they managed to kick off the evening with a solid 32 points. In the closing 200-yard freestyle relay, the Royals took fourth with a time of 1:32.51 as Monica Gumina, Cece Mayer, Tova Andersson, and Natalie Van Noy teamed up to get the Royals an additional 30 points.
 
In the individual events, Sophie Lange took the top spot in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:53.05. Amber Rydzewski would would round of the championship finals with an eighth-place finish at 10:11.83.
 
In the 50-yard freestyle, Danielle Melilli would put together a record-breaking performance at 22.15. Shortly behind the leader was fellow teammate Monica Gumina grabbing second at 22.73 to give the Royals a crucial 37-point boost.
 
Rounding out the Royal women's elite opening day at the championships was a sixth-place finish from Tova Andersson in the 200 IM at 2:01.49.
 
On the men's side, Queens kicked off the evening with an outstanding run in the 200-yard medley relay. Finn Howard, Balazs Berecz, Matej Dusa, and Skyler Cook-Weeks would combine to finish second at 1:25.19. In the closing 200-yard freestyle relay, Queens took the top spot as Matej Dusa, Skyler Cook-Weeks, Finn Howard, and Kimani Gregory raced to a first place finish at 1:17.20.
 
The Royals saw great individual performances across the board as Aidan Henry took eighth in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a final time of 9:09.71.
 
In the 200-yard IM, Alex Kunert would emerge victorious with a time of 1:43.95. Balazs Berecz also secured 13 points for Queens with a sixth-place finish on a time of 1:47.09.
 
Rounding out the Royal men's sensational night was the 50-yard freestyle. Matej Dusa shattered the NCAA record with a time of 18.88 while Skyler Cook-Weeks took third with a time of 19.42.
 
At the conclusion of day one, the Queens women sit in first place accumulating 157 total points while the Royals men are also at the top with 181 points.
 
The Royals will return to the pool tomorrow, March 10 for day two of the NCAA Championships. Be sure to secure your tickets for day two, or any of the upcoming days by visiting the official ticket provider. The preliminary swim trials will take place at 10:00 a.m., the diving trials will occur at 2:00 p.m., and the swim and dive finals will get underway at 6:00 p.m.
 
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