The Backyard Brawl returned for the spring semester on Saturday, this time in swimming and diving, as the Pittsburgh Panthers outscored West Virginia’s men’s and women’s teams.
The women fell 196 to 104 in the meet while the men lost 165 to 135. The loss dropped the men to a 1-2 record in meets while the women’s team remains winless on the season at 0-3.
West Virginia particularly struggled in relay events against Pittsburgh, with just one scoring team in each of the four events. The women’s team fell 28-6 while the men managed a 21-13 effort due to the 11 points gained from its victorious 200 yard freestyle relay team.
The team, consisting of seniors Danny Berlitz and Roanoke Shirk and juniors Conner McBeth and Braden Osborn, finished the race in 1:21.33 to defeat Pittsburgh’s second-place team by one millisecond. The second and third-place teams represented Pittsburgh and added six points to the team’s score.
Berlitz, who swam fastest for the relay team (20.27 seconds), also led West Virginia for the most individual victories on Saturday. The senior won the 200 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, and 200 IM events, making him undefeated for the meet.
Also turning heads for the men’s team was senior transfer Ivan Puskovitch, who swam in his first meet as a Mountaineer. The former USC and U.S. National Team swimmer showed his long-distance dominance with wins in the 1,000-yard and 500-yard freestyle events. Senior William Mullen and freshman Trevor Hudson placed second and third respectively in the 1,000 freestyle to complete a full WVU sweep.
Leading the women’s team once again was sophomore Mia Cheatwood. Cheatwood, who earned All-Big 12 First Team honors last season, placed first in 100 and 200 breaststroke and fell only to Pittsburgh’s Sydney Gring, who won by nearly five seconds, in the 200 IM.
Sophomore Ada Szwabinska, who swam with Cheatwood in the third-place 200-yard medley relay, placed second in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle. Szwabinska also placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay with Gabriela Martin De La Torre, Lilly Culp, and Kate Beckish.
Freshman Maddy Smutny won the 500-yard freestyle, making her the only member of the women’s team to place first in an event outside of Cheatwood.
Pittsburgh beat WVU significantly in diving events, with the men’s team winning 30-6 and the women’s team winning 31-7. Junior Abigail Sullivan shined for the Mountaineers, placing third in the 3-meter and fourth in the 1-meter.
The Mountaineers’ next meet will be at home once again against Villanova on Jan. 27. Events begin at 11 a.m.
Photo from WVU Swimming & Diving
