CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte swimming programs wrapped up competition against South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, turning in a strong performance against the nationally ranked Gamecocks that featured two pool records, multiple podium finishes, and solid relay efforts on both the men's and women's sides.
"The Royals came to race today," Director of Swimming Jeff Dugdale said. "They came off a tough week of training after the holidays a long travel and competition day at Virginia Tech and stayed disciplined and focused on getting ready for our conference championships in February."
The meet opened with the 400-yard medley relays. On the women's side, the A relay of Maren Patterson, Annika Huber, Maddie Foster, and Sabina Kupcova placed fourth with a time of 3:40.42. The men followed with a runner-up finish as the A relay of Caden Fritz, Matheus Przewalla, Emil Harlem, and Stamatis Paleocrassas touched in 3:11.97.
Queens quickly made its mark in the distance events. In the women's 1000-yard freestyle, Sarah Leonie Tenzer earned a third-place finish with a time of 10:07.79. On the men's side, the Royals placed two swimmers inside the top five as Akos Horvath finished fourth (9:26.65) and Jack VanValkenburg followed in fifth (9:28.28).
The Royals delivered their first pool record of the meet in the women's 200-yard freestyle. Abigail Zboran captured the event victory with a time of 1:47.29, setting a new pool record. Foster added a fourth-place finish for Queens, touching in 1:49.84.
Backstroke events produced consistent results for the Royals. Patterson finished fourth in the women's 100-yard backstroke (54.86), while Fritz led the men with a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, posting a time of 48.25.
Breaststroke races added key scoring finishes for Queens. Huber placed second in the women's 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.86). On the men's side, Callen Bartone led the Royals with a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (53.78), followed closely by Matheus Przewalla, who placed third (54.71).
Butterfly events showcased Queens' depth. Zboran finished fifth in the women's 200-yard butterfly (2:03.90), while the men placed three swimmers inside the top four as Nikola Karaivanov finished second (1:48.16), Keegan McKenney third (1:48.94), and Matt Shanahan fourth (1:50.59).
Later, Nien Levy won the men's 50-yard freestyle with a time of 19.93, while Patterson led the women with a third-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle (23.39).
Distance freestyle events later in the meet continued to be a strength for Queens. Tenzer added a second-place finish in the women's 500-yard freestyle (4:53.91), while Stefan Steyn paced the men with a runner-up performance in the 500-yard freestyle, touching in 4:30.65.
Queens closed the individual events with strong IM swims. Zboran finished second in the women's 200-yard IM (2:02.47), followed by Kupcova in third (2:03.75). The Royals added multiple top-five finishes in the men's 200-yard IM to cap the individual portion of the meet.
The Royals finished the meet with the freestyle relays. On the women's side, Queens placed fourth in the 200-yard freestyle relay as Patterson, Zboran, Foster, and Libby Livesay touched in 1:32.87. The men capped the afternoon with a third-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay, as Levy, Paleocrassas, Jackson Vineyard, and Bartone posted a time of 1:19.98, a swim that contributed to one of Queens' relay pool records on the day.
UP NEXT
Queens takes a small break and will head back to celebrate Senior Day in Charlotte against Gardner-Webb on January 24.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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