Villanova’s women’s swimming and diving team won its tenth consecutive Big East title last weekend at Nassau County Aquatic Center in Long Island, New York. Men’s swimming and diving finished fourth of the five teams competing. The women’s team finished with a point total of 1,534, good for first place out of the seven teams competing. Second place UConn finished the weekend with 1316.5.  

The women’s team tallied 21 podium finishes over the span of the meet, 11 of which were gold medal performances.  

Head coach Rick Simpson and his staff were named “Co-Coaching Staff of the Year,” alongside Butler’s staff. Junior Audrey Pastorek was named “Most Outstanding Swimmer,” as she collected five gold medals over the course of the championship meet. Pastorek took gold in the 200 IM, 100 back and 200 back, while also being a part of gold-winning relay teams in the 200 and 400 medleys. It is the tenth consecutive time that the ‘Cats have won “Coaching Staff of the Year” and “Most Outstanding Swimmer.”  

Pastorek swam a 1:56.30 in the 200 back, giving her the eighth-fastest time in Villanova history. Freshman Katie White also raced in the 200 back and logged the ninth-fastest time in school history, with a 1:59.19. 

Freshman Winnie Jalet won the 200 breast with an NCAA B cut time of 2:14.31, good for fourth-fastest in school history. Villanova also swept the relays, winning gold in all five events. Junior Cara Stapleton won bronze in the 100 free, while senior Kaitlin Gravel also took third in the 1650 free. Freshman Claire Feick won silver in the one-meter dive.  

The men’s team totaled 464 points, good for fourth place. Third-place Seton Hall accumulated a point total of 721.5 over the span of the meet. The men’s team totaled three podium finishes. 

Junior Nolan Danus had the team’s lone silver with a 1:48.20 finish in the 200 IM. Danus also posted the fifth-fastest time in the 200 fly in Villanova history, but the 1:47.93 time was only good enough for fifth.

Sophomore Nicolas Jubilee won bronze in the one-meter dive, and senior Jake McIntyre placed third in the 1650 Free with a 15:18.08 NCAA B cut time. McIntyre now has seven of the top-10 times in program history for the 1650 free.