Diving Back In

Women's swimming makes a splash at UNC Asheville

Last weekend, the UNC Asheville Bulldogs did something that hadn't been done since 1976: we held a swim meet.

The new UNC Asheville women's swim team unofficially started their 2012-2013 season with an exhibition meet against Mars Hill Saturday afternoon at Justice Center Pool. No score was kept in the meet but the young Bulldog team put up some impressive performances that had the crowd cheering on Saturday.

Though it was their first-ever meet as a team, the Bulldogs displayed talent and cohesion. The meet started with the 200-yard medley relay. The relay team of Galen Broido, Chloe Carr, Alessandra Troncoso and Ashley Ireland won their race with a time of 1:55.23. The Bulldog 200-yard medley relay team won its event by more than 10 seconds in the first race of the competition.

"Overall, it was a really good day," said Bulldog coach Elizabeth Lykins. "We had some great performances, and our team got a chance to compete in a meet before they start the regular season. Today's meet should have helped get some of the nerves out of performing in a meet."

Individual Finishes

Beside the medley relay event, Troncoso and Broido each won two events for Asheville. Troncoso picked up her first win of the day when she won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.11. Eliza Ritchie came in fifth place for the Bulldogs at 28.84.

Broido finished first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:15.78. Kristen Lawson came in fifth in the event at 2:35.89. The second event Broido won was the 500-yard freestyle. She outpaced the competition with a time of 5:25.76.

The Bulldogs went 1-2 in the 100-yard breaststroke. Troncoso took first as she posted a time of 1:05.94. Chole Carr finished second with a time of 1:09.59.

Ashley Ireland finished second in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:08.09.

In all, UNC Asheville swimmers won five of the ten events of their first unofficial meet -- a solid start for a young team and a brand new program.

"What an awesome experience," exclaimed Hallie Gillespie when it was all over. "I still cannot believe I swam in my first college meet today. Yayyy!"

UNC Asheville opens the regular season the weekend of Oct. 5-6 when the Bulldogs compete at the North Carolina Collegiate Kick-Off Classic in Greensboro.