Villanova swim and dive faced a busy weekend of competition to close out its season. The weekend started with a men’s road meet at Drexel on Friday, Jan. 31, followed by the annual Sprintfest meet at home on Saturday.
It was Villanova’s last weekend of competition before the Big East Championships.
At Drexel, the men’s team fell to the Dragons, 174-67.
Villanova still recorded some notable performances, led by a school record-breaking swim by Max Christensen. The sophomore set a new program best in the 100-yard IM, touching the wall at 51.39, breaking the previous record by more than a second and securing third place.
Despite the team result, Villanova had success in the diving events. Senior Nicholas Jubilee and junior Chris Jones dominated the boards, taking the top two spots in both the one meter and three meter dives.
Jubilee claimed first in the one meter event, with a score of 290.78, while Jones finished in second, at 261.75. The two switched places in the three meter dive, with Jones earning the top score of 288.83 and Jubilee placing second at 263.63.
In the swimming events, sophomore Aiden Bunker pieced together a solid performance, finishing second in the 200 IM with a time of 1:54.07. Senior Patrick Hemingway swam a strong 50 free, taking third with a time of 21.33, while freshman Owen Nye also finished third in the 500 free at 4:36.55. The Wildcats also had third-place relay finishes in both the 400 medley relay (3:23.22) and the 200 free relay (1:22.69).
Returning home on Saturday, the Wildcats hosted their annual Sprintfest at the Villanova Swim Complex.
The event began with a senior day ceremony, honoring 10 graduating athletes for their contributions to the program. The women’s team recognized Lexi Elkovitch, Lainey Quinones, Francesca Raimondi, Pepper Ritchey and Emily Zimmermann. The men’s team celebrated Aubrey Bowles, Carson Brockette, Henry Halloran, Hemingway and Jubilee.
“The day really isn’t about the hard-core competition, and it’s a lot more about celebrating the end of the season,” head coach Rick Simpson said. “After the meet Friday night, the guys walk into the facility the next morning and have an event that’s not about wins and losses. There’s a lot more going on there that makes the timing perfect.”
Along with the celebratory atmosphere, Sprintfest still saw several Villanova swimmers post strong times in their last meet before the Big East Championships.
Bunker took first place in the 100 IM with a time of 51.81 and later placed fourth in the 100 free (47.11). Junior Patrick Casey followed with a second-place finish in the 200 free (1:43.85) and added a sixth-place finish in the 200 IM (1:57.26).
Hemingway also secured a third-place finish in the 200 free (1:44.16) and a 23.66 time in the 50 back. Christensen, continuing his momentum from Drexel, placed fifth in the 100 breast at 58.87.
The Villanova sprinters showed solid depth, with junior Sam Randall finishing eighth in the 50 free (21.52), junior Mikey Thurk placing ninth in the 100 fly (52.39) and Gingrich finishing seventh in the 200 IM (1:59.46).
The meet concluded with the Sprintfest community relays, in which alumni, current athletes and fans joined to honor the Villanova swim team and swimming tradition.
With a competitive weekend behind them, the Wildcats now turn their attention to the Big East Championships, set to begin on Feb. 24 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
