On Drexel’s senior day, Georgetown was unable to keep up with its opponent, as the Dragons used that emotion to break six pool records at Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center and earn a victory over the Hoyas.
Georgetown had the tall task of waking up early in the morning, heading to Philadelphia via bus to compete and returning to campus all in a single day. While this obstacle was nothing new for the Blue and Gray, the task did prove to be formidable. The Hoyas struggled to establish their presence throughout the meet, with the men’s team dropping the meet 160-113, and the women’s team also losing with a score of 166-126.
Despite the losses, the women’s team featured an impressive individual effort by one of its youngest swimmers. Freshman distance swimmer Cristina Barrett led the Hoyas with two individual wins in the 500– and 1000-yard freestyles. Barrett earned her first-place finishes with times of 5:06.13 and 10:30.23 on the 500– and 1000-yard freestyles, respectively. With the Big East Championship just a month away, Barrett has found her stride at an integral point in the season.
While Barrett’s strong showing was the most notable finish on the team, senior Katie Duncalf brought home a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 58.21.
Freshman diver Margaret Barnhorst also showed a glimpse of a strong future for the Hoyas, collecting a first-place finish on the 1-meter dive with a score of 273.98 and a second-place finish on the 3-meter dive, tallying a 237.68.
On the Georgetown men’s side, great individual performances from sophomore Jesse Gibson and senior Martin Vanin went toe-to-toe with a Drexel team that broke two pool records that day, including a record in the 400-yard individual medley, previously unbroken since 1986.
Despite Drexel’s record-setting day, Georgetown’s Gibson took first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.32, outpacing freshman teammate Emmanuel Emovon, who took second in the race, touching the wall at 23.87. Vanin placed first in the 100-yard butterfly marking a time of 52.20, barely outstretching his teammate sophomore Justin Summers, who posted 52.28 and took second in the event.
In addition to the top finishes in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, sophomore Ryan Blom took a first-place medal in the 1-meter dive with a score of 287.70 and a third-place finish in the 3-meter dive with a score of 251.18, finishing behind teammate Jared Cooper-Vespa who scored 294.30 for second place.
Georgetown now looks ahead to one last tuneup at Providence on Feb. 11 before the crucial Big East Championships February 22-25 in Long Island, N.Y.
