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Baiano 1650
Terry Hancock

Women's Swimming

Women’s Swim Comes Back North with Trip to CAL-U Vulcan Invitational

Wheeling, W. Va. - After a week and a half in the sun down in Florida, the Wheeling University Men's and Women's Swimming team are back in Wheeling for the start of classes this week. The women's team will be getting right back into competition this week, when they head to California University of Pennsylvania on Friday for the Vulcan Invitational. It will be the team's first invitational event since their midseason invitational at Malone as they begin the run to the 2024 Mountain East Conference (MEC)/Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Championships. 

Over the past week and a half during the New Year break, both teams headed down to Florida for a nine-day winter training trip as they prepare for the 2024 portion of their schedule. During this time, they worked out at the Centennial Park Pool in Charlotte, Florida, where they held two practices a day. After the training period, the Cardinals wrapped things up with a dual meet against Converse and Lenoir Rhyne University, where they put all of that hardwork on display. The women's team battled throughout the evening but ended up falling to Converse 148-110 and Lenoir-Rhyne 143-104 to round out the trip. Despite the losses on the team side, the Cardinals had a lot of individual success that they look to build on this time around. 

Leading the way for the Cardinals was sophomore Gabby Baiano, who earned the MEC's Women's Swimmer of the Week award for her efforts. The sophomore picked up two first place finishes and a third-place finish to lead the Cardinals, finishing with 21 points on the day. Both of her wins came in the long-distance events, as she kicked things off strong in the 1650 Freestyle. It was a big win for Baiano as she beat the rest of the field by 35 seconds, swimming a time of 18:41.08. She added her second win in the final individual event of the day, winning the 500-Yard Freestyle with a time of 5:27.12. Her final individual event came in the 100-Yard Butterfly, and she rounded things out with a third-place finish with a time of 1:05.28. It was a strong start to 2024 for Baiano, and she looks to keep it going heading into Friday night's meet. 

The other two wins for the Cardinals came from junior Jade Miller, who leads the team in first place finishes this season. She began things with one of her signature swims, taking on the 50-Yard Backstroke, a stroke where she has won three different MEC titles during her career. Miller once again had success in the event, swimming a time of 28.77 to start her day and added another win in the 100-Yard Backstroke a few events later with a time of 1:02.78. Behind the two race winners were sophomores Marra Johnson and Caitlin Oltman, who each picked up a pair of top five finishes on the day. Johnson took third place in the 100-Yard Breaststroke (1:15.40) and fifth in the 50-Yard Breaststroke (35.09), while Oltman took second in the 50-Yard Freestyle (26.80) and fifth in the 100-Yard Freestyle (58.97) to round out the day. 

As they enter Friday's competition, the Cardinals remain the second highest scoring team in the MEC and look to keep that status. They sit 38.35 points behind conference leader Frostburg State, who has 557.45 points, and hold a 4.3 point lead over third-place Fairmont State. With four more events leading up to the 2024 MEC/GMAC Championships, the Cardinals are looking to continue lowering their times and fight for their first-ever MEC Championship in Canton, Ohio. 

Event Details 

The 2024 Vulcan Invitational will be a one-day event hosted by California University of Pennsylvania in their Hammer Hall – Natatorium. Located directly in the middle of campus, the Natatorium is home to the Vulcan Men's and Women's Swimming teams. The event will feature a full day of swimming competition, beginning at 1 PM with teams from around the region converging on California, Pennsylvania. 

The Cardinals and Vulcans have met in three dual meets in the program's history, with Wheeling leading that all-time series at 2-1. Their most recent came on October 21st, 2016, when the Cardinals fell to the Vulcans 107-86. Former Cardinal Regan Nolan led the way with a win in the 1000 Freestyle and being part of the winning 400-Freestyle Relay team. Former Cardinal Jade Worrels added a win in the 100 Breaststroke to round out the day. 

The Details 

Friday's Vulcan Invitational is scheduled to begin at 1 PM inside the Hammer Hall – Natatorium on the campus of California University of Pennsylvania. Stay tuned to wucardinals.com for updates throughout the day.

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Players Mentioned

Gabby  Baiano

Gabby Baiano

Sophomore
Marra Johnson

Marra Johnson

Sophomore
Jade Miller

Jade Miller

Junior
Caitlin Oltman

Caitlin Oltman

Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Gabby  Baiano

Gabby Baiano

Sophomore
Marra Johnson

Marra Johnson

Sophomore
Jade Miller

Jade Miller

Junior
Caitlin Oltman

Caitlin Oltman

Sophomore