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Eagles beat University of Miami for sixth straight time

With their sixth consecutive win against the University of Miami and seventh alltime, the women’s swimming and diving team coach Neal Studd. “It’s still special to beat them there and be able to run the table on them. It really was a big deal and a big goal. I even broke down after the win from being so excited,” Studd said.
The Eagles were able to finish first in 10 of the 16 events on Saturday with six different team members to win 175-123. Freshman Evita Leter and Lani Cabrera brought home three first-place finishes each. Leter individually won both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke and touched first for the 200-yard medley relay team. Cabrera was a winning member of the 200-yard freestyle relay team and took first in the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle. “The girls are swimming good and have really picked up their intensity in the workouts. It’s all going to pay off at the end of the year,” Studd said.
With Leter, freshman Kira Toussaint won in the 200-yard medley relay and finished first in the 200-yard backstroke. Also taking two first-place finishes was junior Emma Svensson, winning the 50-yard freestyle and joining Cabrera in the 200- yard freestyle relay.
In addition to Toussaint and Leter, junior Heather Coutts and sophomore Sara Hamilton helped lead the Eagles to post a winning time of 1:46.19. “I really enjoyed the medley relay and going on the end. The end girl for Miami and I roughly touched at the same time, so it was close,” Hamilton said. “I’m trying to do better this year and really focus on my stroke.” Close behind the second-place finish was the relay team of freshman Sandra Wilk, sophomore Tryshia Centeno, junior Devon Robins and senior Christina Tanninen with a time of 1:48.37.
Taking the top three spots in three different events was a huge factor in defeating the Hurricanes. The events consisted of the 100-yard backstroke, 200- yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley. “We did really well as a team and had a lot more depth than Miami. We didn’t just have first place finishes, but had second and third finishes, too. That helped us gain more points,” said Hamilton. “It’s not just one person doing something, it’s all of us.”
Diving was also able to contribute points for the Eagles in their win. Junior Taylor Malewicki and junior Cayla Collins were able to take two fourth place and two fifth place finishes combined in the events. “UM has really good divers, some of the best in the world. Our divers are great, too, and will be able to win the conference,” Studd said.
The swimming and diving team will be taking on Florida State at Tallahassee in a dual meet on Friday. “It’s going to be tough for us, but I think we have a good chance if we keep good positions and get good points. We are going to bring something unexpected,” Hamilton said. The Eagles lost to FSU at the All-Florida Invitational by 103 points. “We are going to have our hands full against a top ACC program, but we are going to try and compete the best we can. We can’t go in with an attitude that we aren’t going to win. Our plan is to just going go and give them a run for their money,” Studd said.

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