CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Queens swimming continues to raise the bar in its inaugural season as a Division I institution. The first night of the National Invitational Championship was one that saw the Royals break three records and claim six first-place finishes.
Queens was smoking hot right out the gate, claiming first place and setting meet records in both the men's 200 free relay (
Matej Dusa,
Alex Kunert,
Daniel Meszaros, Alex Bauch, 1:17.26), and the women's 200 free relay (
Danielle Melilli,
Monica Gumina,
Ryley Heck,
Caroline Lawrence, 1:30.27).
Alex Bauch built off his two A-final finishes in prelims with a first-place finish in the 50 back final, touching the wall at 21.34. He would also later grab sixth in the 50 fly at 21.33.
Sophia Lange took bronze in the 500 free, coming in at 4:46.58.
Alex Kunert had a strong night in finals, contributing to two first-place finishes including his aforementioned performance in the 200 free relay. He also earned the top spot in the 200 IM with a time of 1:45.77.
The final event of the night, the 50 free, saw two of Queens' speediest swimmers dash to first-place finishes.
Matej Dusa continues to break records, setting the meet record with his first-place time of 19.29. On the women's side,
Danielle Melilli contributed her second top finish with a time of 22.43. Teammate
Monica Gumina followed closely behind at 22.64.
COACH'S WORDS
"Both our men's and women's teams caught fire tonight" said head coach
Jeff Dugdale. "They started by breaking the meet record in both 200 free relays. From there, the team just started rolling for one of our best first nights in recent history."
TOP-THREE FINISHERS
MEN'S 200 FREESTYLE RELAY:
Matej Dusa,
Alex Kunert,
Daniel Meszaros,
Alexander Bauch (1st, 1:17.26)
WOMEN'S 200 FREESTYLE RELAY:
Danielle Melilli,
Monica Gumina,
Ryley Heck,
Caroline Lawrence (1st, 1:30.27)
MEN'S 50 BACKSTROKE:
Alexander Bauch (1st, 21.34)
WOMEN'S 500 FREESTYLE:
Sophia Lange (3rd, 4:46.58)
MEN'S 200 IM:
Alex Kunert (1st, 1:45.77)
MEN'S 50 FREESTYLE:
Matej Dusa (1st, 19.29)
WOMEN'S 50 FREESTYLE:
Danielle Melilli (1st, 22.43),
Monica Gumina (2nd, 22.64)
