After a long break that included an intense week of training in Puerto Rico, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have just one regular season meet left before the Big East Championships. For some, the upcoming meet against Syracuse will be their last meet of the season; however, for the majority of the team, the next meet brings them one step closer to the end of a successful season. With less than a month left until the Big East Championships, the team has entered the most demanding part of the season.

As senior Kristina Lennox prepares for the last meets of her Villanova career, she is pushing herself harder than ever. Lennox’s commitment to herself and the team is obvious.

“From now till the Big East Championships, I hope to continue training just as hard as I have for the past three years,” she said. “In only a matter of a few weeks, my time as a Villanova swimmer will come to an end, and I want to make the most of it.”

Lennox’s strong work ethic paid off in the team’s meet with Pittsburgh, Maryland and Richmond, as she won the 200-meter butterfly and took second in the 100-meter butterfly. Other winners included Jenny Somerville in the 1,650-meter freestyle and Brienne Von Rosendahl in the 100-meter breaststroke.

The men’s team was led by several fifth place finishes from Brett Karbach and AJ Mak. In addition, the 200-meter medley relay of Ryan McKenna, David Drysdale, Jonathan Spindler and Sean Whipkey also contributed a fifth place finish.

In diving, Lindsay Davis won the 3-meter competition, while placing second in the 1-meter. Teammate Danielle Trinkner was close behind Davis with a fourth place finish in the 1-meter and a third in the 3-meter. Despite these performances, both teams struggled in the team standings, as the men placed third and the women placed fourth after being narrowly defeated by Richmond.

For the 12 seniors of the team, there remains just one month to prepare for the last races of their college careers, while those who will go on to represent Villanova at the NCAA Championships will have an extra month to train. Lennox has only positive expectations for the Big East Championships after a long, but successful, senior season.

“So far this season has gone above and beyond my expectations,” she said. “All the girls have stepped up when needed and will benefit us in the long run.”

With some hope, this same energy that has motivated the team all year will lead them to success at the Big East Championships.