CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queens University of Charlotte swimming programs jumped out to a dominating start of their 2024 season on Saturday afternoon, claiming victories over the Davidson Wildcats in both the men's and women's competitions. The Queens women triumphed with a score of 188-74, while the men secured a commanding 180-82 win.

Find the full meet results here.

"The swimmers did a great job today getting behind one another," Director of Swimming Jeff Dugdale said. "Our freshman had a good first showing, and as always, our upperclassman really helped make the freshman feel at ease to be relaxed and excited in our first meet of the season."

WOMEN'S TEAM HIGHLIGHTS

• The relay squad consisting of Maren Patterson, Annika Huber, Madeline Foster, and Ryley Heck, clocked a winning time of 1:44.27 in the 200-yard medley relay, outpacing Davidson's top team by over two seconds. The other Royals relay squad of Haley Ross, Libby Livesay, Kayla Schmelzer, and Bianca Wettel finished third with 1:46.61.
• In the 1000-yard freestyle, Katherine Bailey led the way for Queens, touching first in 10:49.68. Teammate Ellie Porter also put up a strong showing, finishing third with a time of 10:54.84.
• In the 200-yard freestyle, Abigail Zboran dominated the event with a time of 1:53.62. Teammates Bianca Wettel and Maddie Foster finished second and fourth, respectively, contributing crucial points.
• Next in the 100-yard backstroke, Patterson showcased her versatility, winning the event with a time of 57.40. Amber Rydzewski and Ross also finished strong, taking third and fourth place.
• Huber continued her strong meet with a victory, touching the wall at 1:05.27 in the 100-yard breaststroke, followed closely by teammate Livesay in second at 1:05.72.
• Zboran secured her second win of the meet, taking first place in the 200 fly with a time of 2:04.65. Freshman Katie Grace Vandergrift finished third with 2:10.61. 
• Heck clinched first in the 50-yard freestyle sprint event with a time of 24.30, followed closely by Patterson in second with 24.38. 
• Wettel snagged the top spot of the 100 yard free with a time of 52.85.
• Foster continued her excellent meet with a first-place finish in 56.42 in the 100 fly. Teammate Kayla Schmelzer placed third at 59.85, adding valuable points.
• Ross reigned supreme in the 200 yard backstroke with a time of 2:04.03, while Rydzewski claimed second with a 2:06.07.
• Queens' 400-yard relay team of Sabina Kupcova, Zboran, Foster, and Heck capped off the meet with a first-place finish in 3:30.85, sealing the overall victory for the women's team.

MEN'S TEAM HIGHLIGHTS

• The Queens 200-yard medley relay team, featuring Andreas Marz, Noah Beladi, Conner Wang, and Matej Dusa, opened the meet with a dominant win, finishing in 1:29.72. The relay team of Caden Fritz, Filip Urbanski, Ondrej Dusa, and Nien Levy secured third place with a time of 1:33.22.
• Jack VanValkenburg led the 1000-yard freestyle event for Queens, winning with a time of 9:54.24. Teammate Fabian Gines Torres added a fifth-place finish in 10:20.56, while Aidan Henry placed sixth at 10:23.49.
• Freshman Lance Young was a standout for Queens in the 200-yard freestyle, taking second place in 1:41.73, followed by teammate Daniel Meszaros in third with 1:41.83. O. Dusa placed fourth.
• Fritz claimed victory with a time of 49.78 in the 100 back, followed closely by Marz in second with 49.97, and Matt Duren in third at 51.86, giving Queens a clean sweep of the top three spots.
• In another three-swimmer Queens sweep, Cal Bartone took home the 100-yard breaststroke win with a time of 56.21 while Beladi came in second (56.24) and Matheus Przewalla came in third (56.85).
• M. Dusa continued his sprint dominance, taking first place with a time of 20.12 in the 50 free. Levy and Wang followed with second-and-third-place finishes, respectively, with times of 20.54 and 20.99. M. Dusa also took home the 100-yard free with a time of 44.88 while Meszaros took second (46.01) and Levy took third (46.31).
• Marz took home the 200 yard backstroke event with a time of 1:49.64.
• Keegan McKenney led the way for Queens in the 200-yard fly event, finishing third with a time of 1:57.70, while Flinn Hering added a fifth-place finish at 2:00.15.
• Wang claimed victory in the 100 yard version of the event, touching the wall first with a time of 49.42. Teammate newcomer Brett Bailey took third in 51.48.
• Przewalla impressed with a first-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke, clocking in at 2:05.29. Veterans Declan Gleason and Noah Beladi rounded out the top three, giving Queens another sweep in this event.
• The Queens 400-yard freestyle relay team of M. Dusa, Meszaros, O. Dusa, and Levy closed out the meet in style, winning the relay in 3:01.10.

UP NEXT
The Royals are back at home next week against Wingate for a start at 2:00 PM on Friday, Oct. 4.
 

SOCIAL MEDIA
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