We didn’t have enough space on our page today for all of the GW sports action, so here’s a quick look at what the Colonials did over the weekend:
Swimming
The Colonials competed in their first dual meet of the season this weekend, when both the men’s and women’s squads fell to Bucknell.
The women’s team was defeated 169-124, despite earning eight first-place finishes. Freshman Janica Lee paced GW, finishing first in three events: the 200-yard medley relay, 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard breaststroke. Lee was joined by freshmen Morgan Zebley and Bianca Valencia and sophomore Sydney Saunders in the first-place relay team. Sophomore Caroline Myers finished first in the 1,000-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle and sophomore Lindsay Moore finished first in the 100-yard backstroke. Zebley finished first in the 100-yard butterfly, and Saunders, Zebley, sophomore Sloan Saunders and sophomore Melissa Fernandez earned a first-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The men’s program also fell to Bucknell, 168-89. The Colonials earned two first-place finishes, including juniors Luke Quimby, Alex Etz and Niklas Glenesk and sophomore Niccolo Wilson’s victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Junior Phillip Graeter earned a first-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke.
The Colonials next head to UMBC Oct. 29 with action slated for 1 p.m.
Tennis
Both the men’s and women’s squad competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Atlantic Regional Tournament, with the men’s team taking the court at Virginia’s Smith Tennis and the women competing at Old Dominion’s Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
Sunday, freshman Francisco Dias paced the team with back-to-back singles and doubles victories. He picked up his first win of the day when he defeated his Maryland opponent in straight sets, and advanced to singles quarterfinals, where he will face No. 1 seed Jarmere Jenkins of Virginia, who is ranked No. 18 by the ITA. Dias also joined with senior Ugur Atalay to earn doubles victories over Georgetown and Maryland.
“Ugur and Francisco worked hard and defeated solid Georgetown and Maryland teams,” head coach Greg Munoz said. “They handled pressure perfectly and deserve to be in the semifinal.”
In the women’s competition, sophomore Leah Pascarella advanced in the singles consolation round Sunday, earning her third straight win with a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 1-0 (5) tie-breaking victory over William & Mary. Pascarella was the only Colonial to post a victory on Sunday’s play, with senior Jacqueline Corba and sophomore Julia Blakeley dropping singles matches and the duo of junior Mimi Hamling and senior Zoe Krohn falling in doubles play.
Action at both tournament locations continues Monday.
Golf
Freshman Jack Persons, who is competing in just his third collegiate tournament, led the Colonials with a 4-under par score of 68 at the ODU/Outerbanks Collegiate at Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powells Point, N.C., finishing in fourth place Sunday.
“I am so proud of how Jack finished today,” said head coach Terry Shaffer. “He came through in the clutch and really helped his team out.”
The Colonials are tied with Winthrop in fifth place as a team, earning a combined score of 3-over 291. Persons shot 4-under 68 on the day, with senior teammate Martin Liu just three strokes behind with a 1-over 73, tied for 27th place individually. Two more Colonials, seniors Andres Pumariega and Brandon Rukin are tied for 42nd with a 3-over 75, and fellow senior Taylor Fuqua shot a 5-over 77 to tie for 62nd place, rounding out GW’s finish.
Play continues Monday at 10 a.m.
“This was a good first round for us,” Shaffer said. “If we keep shooting this way, we will really show everyone what we can do.”
