Buckhannon, W. Va. - On Saturday, the Wheeling University Women's Swimming team opened their 2024-2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule on Saturday. They would split a conference-opening tri-meet with West Virginia Wesleyan and Frostburg State, to get out to a 1-1 start in the conference. Overall, the Cardinals had four gold medal winners on the day as they competed in their first tri-meet of the season.
Leading the way was senior Jade Miller, who led the Cardinals with two first place finishes on the afternoon. Her first win of the day came in the 200-Yard Breaststroke, where she beat out five different swimmers to get the win. She swam a time of 2:32.90 and began what would be a big day. Her second win came four events later as she took the pool for the 200-Yard Individual Medley. She claimed the title by three seconds, swimming a time of 2:18.95 and earned her second gold medal of the day. Her final individual swim would come in the 200-Yard Freestyle, where she took fourth overall with a time of 2:09.18. The two wins were her first two first place finishes of the season as she hits the ground running in the meet schedule.
The Cardinal's final individual win would come in that same 200-Yard Freestyle race, courtesy of Gabby Baiano. Baiano beat out the field by three seconds, swimming a time of 2:03.10 to pick up her first individual win of the season. It was the first of two individual swims for the junior who also competed in the 200-Yard Butterfly and took second overall at the event with a time of 2:21.49. The first individual swim of the day was the Women's 1000-Yard Freestyle, and Lacie Langmyer got the Cardinals started with a third place finish at 11:52.58. After Baiano took the gold in the 200-Yard Freestyle, it was time for the 100-Yard Backstroke, with Olivia Moyer finishing fourth at 1:06.76.
In Event #9, Sofia Gonzalez Bernal and Mikayla Smitley each picked up top five finishes in the 100-Yard Breaststroke, with Bernal taking third (1:14.73) and Smitley taking fourth (1:20.75). Sofia Castillo would step up in the 50-Yard Freestyle, finishing third with a time of 26.57, and Grace Moorley would add a fourth-place finish in the 100-Yard Freestyle, with a time of 59.65. In the Women's 200-Yard Backstroke, Langmyer was back with her second top five finish of the day, taking third at 2:25.64, and picked up a third place finish in the 500-Yard Freestyle at 5:43.71. In that same event, Grace Moorley would earn second in that same race, with a time of 5:39.80, and Castillo would finish the day with a second place finish in the 100-Yard Butterfly with a time of 1:05.32.
The team also competed in two relay events on the day competing in the 200-Yard Medley Relay and the 200-Yard Freestyle. Their top finish came from the foursome of Moorley, Baiano, Castillo, and Miller, who took third in the 200-Yard Freestyle with a time of 1:45.95. In the 200-Yard Medley Relay, it was Bernal, Castillo, Lydie Sprecher, Ana Noguera who competed and tool third overall with a time of 1:58.20.
The Wheeling University Women's Swimming team returns to action on Wednesday, October 16th, when they host Washington & Jefferson and Salem with first swims at 3 PM.
