Tartans Open Season with Win Over Case Western at Home

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's swimming and diving team started the year with a strong performance, defeating Case Western Reserve University 191-101, at home on Saturday, October 26.

The 200-yard medley relay team of sophomore Kira Singhaus (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West), sophomore Felicia Wang (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley), sophomore Shieri Suzuka (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown), and freshman Lauren Zemering (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) started the meet with a win in a time of 1:50.61.

Freshman Kimberly Klausing (North Potomac, Md./Thomas Wootton) then won the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:51.86 with junior Kaeli Halbersleben (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) touching second in 11:15.32.

Senior Megan Garvey (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) finished second in the 200-yard freestyle in 2:00.88 before Singhaus led a sweep of the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.47. Freshman Marisa Giglio (Cranbury, N.J./Princeton) was second in 1:01.21 while sophomore Elissa Maercklein (Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay) was third in 1:02.11.

The Tartans continued to roll as Wang led a sweep of the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:08.39 with freshman Natalie Kronfli (Potomac, Md./Stone Ridge) behind her in 1:09.04 and sophomore Julia Atwood (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) third in 1:12.83.

Before the first break, Zemering won the 50-yard freestyle in 25.38 while Suzuka was third in 25.67.

Senior Soleil Phan (Irvine, Calif./Beckman) followed a second-place showing in the 200-yard butterfly with a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle in 54.98. Freshman Allison Kirkby (West Chester, Pa./Conestoga) was second in the freestyle in 55.23.

The 200-yard backstroke was the next event and the Tartans swept with Giglio leading in 2:12.36. Singhaus was second in 2:14.66 and sophomore Paige Sieffert (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline) was third in 2:16.22.

Kronfli picked up a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:30.78 with Atwood finishing second in 2:34.67, as Klausing won for the second time, taking first in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:16.43.

Freshman Gillian Crews (Fairfax, Va./Oakton) placed second in the 100-yard butterfly in 58.74 with Suzuka taking third in 1:02.86 and junior Kristin Dlesk (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) taking fourth in 1:05.97 to close the meet.

In the diving events, freshman Machika Kaku (Irvine, Calif./University) won the 1-meter board with 226.80 points with junior Winona Li (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) taking second with 210.08 points. The two traded places on the 3-meter board with Li taking first with 240.90 points and Kaku second with 211.35 points.

The Tartans will host Clarion University on Saturday, November 2 at 11:00 a.m. for their next meet.