Championship Central | Results | FloSports
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Villanova women and Georgetown men head into the final day of competition holding the advantage in the standings after three nights of the 2024 BIG EAST Swim and Dive Championships presented by Jeep.
 
Looking to win their 11^th consecutive title, the Wildcats edge UConn by 57.5 points, with Villanova capping the night with 1,079 points. The Huskies will enter the final day of competition with 1,021.5 points.
 
Aiming for a third-straight crown, Georgetown (550.5 points) holds a 34.5-point lead over Xavier at 516.
 
In an electrifying opening race that resulted in a pair of NCAA B-Cut times, Villanova sophomore Arabella Lee (53.31) outdueled Xavier senior Erin Ritz (53.52) by a fraction of a second to earn the gold in the women’s 100-yard fly. Georgetown sophomore Angelica Reali placed third with a time of 54.14 seconds, two-hundredths of a second ahead of her junior teammate Genevieve Youngman.
 
In the men’s 100-yard fly, Seton Hall sophomore Michael Klimaszewski swam away from the competition with a near BIG EAST record setting performance, touching the wall in 46.47 seconds. Garnering an NCAA B-Cut time, Klimaszewski was just three-hundredths of a second behind the mark set by Josh Scheider of Cincinnati in 2010 (46.44).
 
Rounding out the top-three, Xavier sophomore Aiden Leamer earned silver with a time of 47.67, while Georgetown junior John McEachern (48.25) received the bronze.
 
Two more NCAA B-Cut times were reached in the women’s 400 IM, with Georgetown senior Erin Hood touching the wall in 4:16.56 to earn the gold and Villanova freshman Meghan Tiernan finishing second in 4:17.29. Rounding out the top-three and entering the event with an NCAA B-Cut pre-qualifying time, Seton Hall junior Allie Waggoner timed in at 4:18.19.
 
In the men’s 400 IM, Georgetown junior Jack Januario pulled away with a winning time of 3:48.48, while Villanova senior Nolan Danus placed second at 3:49.63. Both times qualify as NCAA B-Cut times. In third, Villanova freshman Ben Tunila touched the wall in 3:52.30.
 
The Villanova women’s team earned their second gold medal of the night, when senior Molly Benson finished ahead of the group in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:48.08. In second place, Xavier senior Clara Keiser posted a time of 1:48.66, while Georgetown graduate Maddie Bauer (1:49.10) finished third.
 
A pair of Musketeer underclassmen took over the men’s 200-yard freestyle, with sophomore Kyle Hudson (1:37.20) finishing first and freshman Luke Peterson (1:37.68) placing second. The 37 combined points helped move Xavier atop the men’s leaderboard early in the evening with a mere 6.5 lead over Georgetown. Finishing third in the race, Seton Hall sophomore Kevin Cary timed in at 1:38.17.
 
Collecting the sixth NCAA B-Cut time of the night, Xavier sophomore Jordyn Libler finished the women’s 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:01.26 to earn the gold. In second, UConn senior Angela Gambardella tapped the wall in 1:02.44. Villanova graduate Maggie Kleinsmith placed third at 1:03.15.
 
Xavier was back on top of the podium, this time in the men’s 100-yard breaststroke when junior Ethan Sunders finished with a top-time of 53.69. However, it was the Hoyas that rounded out the top-three and returned Georgetown to the lead in the team standings by 16.5 points. In second-place, Georgetown sophomore Bailey De Luise finished at 54.38, while his junior teammate Ansen Meyer earned bronze at 54.71.
 
In the final individual race of the night for the women, UConn junior Maggie Donlevy earned the gold with an NCAA B-Cut time of 53.21 seconds, just ahead of silver medalist and Villanova senior Audrey Pastorek (53.82), who also earned an NCAA B-Cut time. In third, UConn senior Kayla Mendonca timed in at 54.70.
 
Following the conclusion of the men’s 100-yard backstroke, Georgetown extended its advantage in the team standings to 42.5 points, when junior John McEachern finished first with a time of 48.75, just ahead of Seton Hall freshman Nick Rhodes (48.89). In third, Xavier sophomore Matt Adanin timed in at 49.44.
 
In the diving tank, Seton Hall graduate Silvia Alessio jumped ahead of the competition with a first-place score of 337.5 to earn the gold in the women’s 3-meter dive. Rounding out the top-six were five Huskies, led by silver-medalist Julia Pioso (300.60) and bronze-medalist Kate Cooper (290.70). Overall, the five Huskies combined for 130 points to pull the team back within 65.5 points of the Wildcats.
 
In the women’s 400 medley relay, UConn finished first with a time of 3:40.88, while Villanova placed second at 3:42.68, and Georgetown in third at 3:43.08.
 
In the final event, Xavier captured the gold in the men’s 400 medley relay with a blazing time of 3:13.94. In second, Seton Hall timed in at 3:15.26, while Georgetown placed third at 3:17.18.
 
The final day of the competition begins Saturday at 10 a.m. ET with the prelims of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and men’s 1-meter dive. The diving prelims are scheduled for 1 p.m. At 3:10 p.m., the mile will get underway with the first group of competitors, before the second group kicks off the final heats of the 2024 BIG EAST Championship at 5:45 p.m.
 
For schedules, updates, live results and live coverage links please visit the BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championship Central Page on BIGEAST.com.
 
All Championship action will air live on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports Presented by Invesco QQQ, with wall-to-wall coverage that includes all event preliminaries, finals and awards. Catch all the action HERE.
 
Women's Team Scores (through 14 events)
1. Villanova University – 1,079
2. University of Connecticut – 1021.5
3. Georgetown University – 803.5
4. Xavier University – 674.5
5. Seton Hall University -- 659
6. Butler University – 375.5
7. Providence College -- 279
 
Men's Team Scores (through 13 events)
1. Georgetown University – 550.5
2. Xavier University -- 516
3. Seton Hall University – 383.5
4. Villanova University -- 352
5. Providence College -- 216