NEW YORK – Providence freshman Justin Viotto has been named BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week and Villanova junior Bridie Dunn has been awarded BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week for swimming and diving. The pair broke school records in their respective events during their last competition. These are the first awards received by each individual, and first for Providence overall this season. This is the third nod for the Wildcat women this season.
The Friar men were first out of four teams at the Harold Anderson Invitational, while the women were third out of six. The Villanova women were victorious at home over Penn 177-123, and the men were defeated by the Quakers 120-171.
Around the rest of the league, Butler finished in seventh among 10 teams at the House of Champions Meet last weekend. Georgetown competed at the Bucknell Invite, where the men claimed third place out of seven and the women were fourth of eight total teams. Seton Hall men and women both collected fourth-place finishes at the Patriot Invitational. The men competed against eight teams, while the women battled nine. Xavier traveled to the Cleveland State Magnus Cup, where the women wound up third out of 13 teams and the men notched a third-place finish out of nine.
BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week
Justin Viotto, Providence, Fr., Free/IM (Morristown, N.J.)
The freshman won three events at the Harold Anderson Invitational and broke two program records. He hit the wall first in the 200-yard butterfly with a record-breaking time of 1:50.20. That time surpasses the previous record of 1:52.49 set by Sebastian Melendez in 2018. That time is also the fastest in the BIG EAST this season. He then broke the school record in the 400-yard individual medley in a winning time of 4:00.70. The previous mark of 4:01.06 was set in 2014 by John Fatigati. His 400-yard IM time is third-best in the league. Viotto was also triumphant in the 500-yard freestyle, going 4:34.84.
BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week
Bridie Dunn, Villanova, Jr., Diving (Bethesda, Md.)
In the Wildcats win over Penn, Dunn swept the diving events. She was victorious on the 1-meter board, breaking the school record with a mark of 277.80. She overtook Julie Rhines standard of 275.48, which was set back in 2002. Dunn also took first on the 3-meter board accumulating a score of 248.70. Her low board score is currently third-best in the BIG EAST.
Notable Performances
Drew Carbone, Georgetown, So., Back/IM (Chelmsford, Mass.)
Carbone was a key factor in the Hoyas third-place finish as a team at the Bucknell Invite. He amassed 248 of the team’s 984 points. Carbone won both the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events. He was first to the wall in the 100-yard backstroke in 49.10 and touched first in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:47.84. Both times are the fastest in the BIG EAST. Carbone was also third in the 200-yard IM with a time of 1:50.20. That time is also the best in the league.