NEW YORK, NY – The Hunter women's swimming team improved to 5-0 in CUNYAC meets with a 131-74 defeat of Baruch College on Friday night.
"It takes a special drive for a team to accomplish what they did tonight," said co-head coach
Scott Bintner. "Coach Netti and I know how tough the Bearcats are, and we let the team know that it could come down to the end and be close."
Both teams put up their top 200 Medley relays team to start the meet.
Chryzl Goco led off in backstroke to finish second at the wall, but
Carla Canning took the lead in the breaststroke leg, allowing
Alexandra Rubiano and
Charlotte Collazo to extend that lead for a Hawk victory.
Jessica Lou took a commanding lead in the 800 meter Freestyle from the start and never looked back, finishing almost a whole length ahead of Baruch's top competitor, with
Amanda Iken sticking with her but trailing off to a third place finish.
The 200 free was close for the first 150 meters, but
Lindsey Pero pulled away at the turn finishing a whole body length ahead of the competition, and
Charlotte Collazo battled it out until the end finishing third.
The 50 free was the only event the Hawks didn't place in the top 2, with
Vanessa Xue finishing third.
In an exciting 200 IM, Rubiano pulled away for the lead early and never looked back, while
Kelly Xue came back in the last 50 making up a body lengths deficit, narrowly missing out on second.
After a break, Rubiano came back with another dominant win in the 100 butterfly, with
Courtney McEvoy Lee placing third.
The Hawks started building off that momentum, and came back for a major upset in the 100 Freestyle, with Pero and Collazo decisively placing first and second.
That momentum continued in the 100 Backstroke with Goco taking it out hard and holding on for a win, and
Kelly Xue shattering her lifetime best, while finishing second
In the 400 meter free, the Hawks placed 2-3 with Lou and Iken.
After another short break
Carla Canning pulled ahead early to win in the 100 breast, her teammate Lou finished third, as she was out touched for second.
The 200 free relay was incredibly exciting, as the Hawks pulled ahead in the third leg after trailing halfway through the relay. Chu & Goco fell behind early, setting the stage for Pero to shine as she outdistanced Baruch's third swimmer and leaving it to
Vanessa Xue to secure the Hawks victory.
"They accepted the challenge we'd given them, and they made sure that they never let down," said Bintner.
The Hawks return to action Tuesday January 13 when they will host John Jay in the team's final CUNYAC meet of the season. The meet will start at 6pm in the North Pool!
