Swimming Returns to the Pool on Friday at IUPUI

Friday, January 6

Indianapolis, Ind.

6 P.M.

Xavier University

IUPUI

Swimming Returns to the Pool on Friday at IUPUI

01.05.17 | Swimming

Musketeers will take on Jaguars as well as the Ball State Cardinals

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier swimming opens up its spring schedule on Friday, returning to action at IUPUI, along with the Ball State Cardinals, as the Musketeers prepare for a fourth trip to the BIG EAST Championships in February.

MEET INFORMATION

Xavier at IUPUI with Ball State
IU Natatorium | Indianapolis, Ind.
Friday, Jan. 6 – 6:00 p.m.

THE OPPONENTS

IUPUI JAGUARS
Indianapolis, Ind. | Summit

The Jaguar women closed out the fall schedule at 4-1, picking up wins over Indianapolis, Eastern Illinois, Butler and Wright State. IUPUI closed out the Fall by taking second at the House of Champions, a three-day, 13-team meet hosted by the Jags.
The IUPUI men are 3-1 overall, picking up wins over UIndy, Eastern Illinois and Wright State before taking second at the House of Champions to close out the Fall.

BALL STATE CARDINALS
Muncie, Ind. | MAC

The BSU women are 2-3 on the season in duals meets, picking up wins over Tiffin and Grand Valley State. The Cardinal women closed out the Fall at the Miami Invitational, placing seventh.
The Ball State men are 2-1 in duals on the season, with wins over Albion College and Tiffin. The Cardinals closed out the Fall schedule with a third place finish at the Eastern Michigan Invitational.

LAST YEAR AT IUPUI

In last season's three-team meet with the same opponents, the Musketeer women picked up a pair of wins, topping IUPUI, 154-133, and Ball State, 159-135, while the men topped the Cardinals, 170.5-116.50 while falling to the Jaguars, 192-99.

On the women's side, the Musketeers posted six first place finishes. Paxtyn Drew won a pair of events (100 back, 200 back) as did Katie Kerr (200 free, 500 free). Emily Wagner (1000 free) and Maggie Kauffeld (200 fly) also took home first place finishes.

On the men's side, Chase Baldwin grabbed the top finish for the Musketeers, taking first in the 200 back. Xavier collected six second-place finishes in individual events and also took the second spot in both the 200 medley and 400 free relays.

LAST TIME OUT (WOMEN)

The Xavier women were last in action at the CSU Magnus Cup from November 18-20. The Musketeers finished third of 14 and set numerous new school records.

Caroline Gaertner posted a school-record breaking performance in the 50 free. Emily Conners' time of 23.57 in the 50 free moved her standing up to third in XU records.

Gaertner became the second women in Xavier history to set an NCAA B-Cut time, hitting the standard and setting a new school record in the 100 back. Gaertner also set a new school record during prelims of 100 fly.

Ali Fort finished second in the 50 back with a time of 26.17. Paxtyn Drew also finished in the top five with a time of 26.61.

Xavier's women also posted new school records in the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay.

LAST TIME OUT (MEN)

Xavier's men finished second at the CSU Magnus Cup, behind only host Cleveland State among the nine teams competing.

Alex Wolfred collected the first win of the meet for the Musketeers in the 500 free with a time of 4:34.66. Wolfred also qualified first in the 200 free with at time of 1:42.13 before finishing fifth in the A Final heat.

Tony Miller tied for second in the 50 free with a time of 21.05.

Sam Johanns took the top spot in the 100 back with a time of 50.33. Johanns was one of three Musketeers in the A Final, with Nathan Runyon and Arthur Smith also qualifying. David Bunnell and Chase Baldwin were the top two finishers in the B Final.

Johanns also took second in the 50 back, one of five Musketeers in the top 10 times of the event, including Nathan Runyon who posted the top time in the B Final.

The Xavier men went 1-2-3 in the 50 fly, led in by Knox Hitt's time of 22.33. Bunnell and Brandon Abboud finished second and third, respectively. All told, the Musketeers accounted for five of the 10 spots in the A Final.

Michael Pettinichi, competing in the B Final, posted the top overall time in the 200 breast, besting his own school record with a time of 2:01.15.

AT&T WINTER NATIONALS

Xavier closed out the Fall scheduled by sending a school-record seven swimmers to Atlanta to compete in the AT&T Winter Nationals.

Knox Hitt used a time of 49.12 in the 100 fly prelim to finish among the top 24 competitors, earning a spot in one of the three finals heats. In the C Final, Hitt placed eighth with a time of 49.75.

Hitt also competed in the 50 free as an individual on Thursday, posting a time of 21.25 in the prelims to place 37th.

Rodrigo Suriano also took part in the 50 free, finishing 26th to hold a spot as an alternate for the finals with a time of 20.85.

In addition to Hitt's performance in the 100 fly on Friday, four other Musketeers took part in individual events. David Bunnell also competed in the 100 fly with a time of 49.87.

Michael Pettinichi placed in the top 30 in the 100 breast with a time of 55.87. Pettinichi also took part in a second race on Saturday, finishing the 200 breast in 2:02.90 to take 27th.

Sam Johanns and Nathan Runyon both took part in the 100 back, finishing in 50.22 and 50.89, respectively. Ruynon also competed in the 200 back, finishing in 1:52.51.

Chase Baldwin also took part in the 200 back, touching the wall in 1:53.53. Both Musketeers finished in the top 40.

Over the course of four days, the Musketeers also took part in three relays. On the opening night, Suriano, Baldwin, Johanns and Hitt posted a time of 6:47.78 in the 800 free relay.

Suriano, Johanns, Bunnell and Hitt placed seventh in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:22.57.

The Musketeers closed out the event with Johanns, Hitt, Bunnell, Suriano posting a time of 3:03.99 in the 400 free relay.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The Xavier women return to action on Saturday, January 21, when the Musketeers travel to Ohio to take on the host Bobcats and Duquesne at 1:00 p.m.

The men and the women are back in the pool the following day, heading to Fishers, Ind. for the Butler Invite on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 12:00 p.m.

WEEKLY AWARDS

During the first semester, Xavier men's and women's swimming combined to collect six BIG EAST Weekly Awards.

Xavier men's and women's swimming swept the BIG EAST Weekly Awards for the second time this season in the week of Nov. 22, when Michael Pettinichi and Caroline Gaertner took the honors after their performances at the CSU Magnus Cup.

Pettinichi won his first Weekly Award of his Xavier career when he placed third in the 100 breast with a time of 55.45, just .06 off the NCAA B-Cut standard of 55.39. Pettinichi then posted the top overall time in the 200 breast, 2:01.15, while competing in the B-Final, a mark that broke his own school record set at last year's BIG EAST Championship.

Gaertner came away from the CSU Magnus Cup with a hand in five new school records. In the 100 back, the sophomore became only the second Xavier women's swimmer in program history to post an NCAA B-Cut time with her time of 55.00 in the 100 back, setting a new school record and the top time in the conference this year. She also set records in the 50 free and 100 fly as well as the 200 free and 400 medley relays.

That made two Weekly Awards from the conference offices for Gaertner after earning the honor for leading the Musketeer women with a pair of wins against Cleveland State.

Rodirgo Suriano also earned a pair of BIG EAST Swimmer of the Week honors in the first half of the season after his performance at Cleveland State and Miami (Ohio).

Emily Conners also earned the honor from both the conference offices and CollegeSwimming.com in the opening week of the season. Conners earned the honor after she picked up a pair of wins in freestyle sprints at the Big 12 vs. BIG EAST Weekend at West Virginia University, with wins in the 50 free (24.50) and 100 free (53.12).