BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech men and women saw top finishes from 11 different individuals, setting two new pool records en route to a pair of victories on Breast Cancer Awareness Day at War Memorial Pool on Saturday. The H₂Okie men defeated the Nittany Lions, 184-116, while the Tech women added a 160-140 victory, combining for 17 first-place finishes.

“Today was a great team win and really showed how everything has to come together,” said H₂Okies head coach Ned Skinner. “The women’s victory was a combination of great teamwork and effort in the diving, distance and sprint events. We won every freestyle event, which we were unable to do against UNC and Virginia. I continue to be impressed by the way the men performed to defeat a top-notch Penn State team. Today’s wins are huge for us.”

“Today was a classic example of why college swimming and diving is so much fun, especially in a dual-meet environment,” added associate head coach Braden Holloway. “Our team swam and dove with a lot of passion and emotion to represent their school and program.”

Charlie Higgins, Jonathan Huss, Gregory Mahon and Richard Ulatowski opened action for the H₂Okies with a first-place finish in a close 200 medley relay race in 1:31.18. The women placed second in the 200 medley relay in 1:44.71, earning a new season-best time for the H₂Okies.

Tech then earned victories in the next four competitions, including both 1000 free and 200 free events. The women went 1-2 in the 1000 free, with Erika Hajnal taking first (9:58.46) and Lauren Ritter taking second (10:01.18). The men also finished 1-2, with Philip LaRosa leading the way in 9:26.99, followed by Blake Trabuchi-Downey in 9:33.29. Kelly deMarrais earned the title in the women’s 200 free with a time of 1:50.36, while Bryan Uncur took first for the men in 1:40.43, marking a season-best time for the H₂Okies.

Hajnal then added a victory in the 500 free, breaking her own pool record with a time of 4:51.25, and also marking a season-best time for the sophomore. Ritter finished behind Hajnal in 4:55.42. The men complimented the victory with their own title in the 500 free, as Bryan Uncur, Philip LaRosa and Blake Trabuchi-Downey finished 1-2-3, respectively.

The Nittany Lion women kept the meet close with victories in the 100 back, 100 breast and 200 fly events, but Emily Ferguson got Tech back on track with an individual victory in the 50 sprint freestyle in 23.59, marking her first title this season and a season-best time. Ferguson later added another first-place finish in the 100 free with a time of 51.76.

Stephen Hawkins earned the top finish in the 100 backstroke in 50.43, leading a H₂Okie anchor that finished 1-2-3. Higgins and Ryne Francis finished second and third, respectively. The men also took the top three spots in the 200 fly, as sophomore Matt Baumler earned his first title of the season in 1:51.60. Blake Trabuchi-Downey and Trey Stewart placed second and third, respectively. Huss added a first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke in 56.94.

Penn State then earned titles in the men’s and women’s 200 back, 200 breast and 100 butterfly events. The Nittany Lions added a crucial victory in the women’s 200 IM, taking the top three spots to narrow Tech’s lead, but the H₂Okies earned a deciding victory in the 400 freestyle relay as Steffi Drechsel, Jace Howanitz, Kelly deMarrais and Emily Ferguson necked out a tight win in 3:25.39, split seconds ahead of the Nittany Lions, who finished in 3:25.52.

The H₂Okies once again controlled all diving events, sweeping the top four spots in both men’s and women’s events. Freshman Carissa Santora earned the top performance in the women’s one-meter event, earning 278.10 points, a season-best performance, and added a second-place effort in the three-meter event. West took first in the three-meter with 305.10 points, followed by Santora, Milton and Sara Mokhtari.

Mikey McDonald earned his fifth and six titles, in as many attempts, in the one- and three-meter events. The senior captain set a new pool record in the one-meter, earning 394.28 points in a season-best performance. McDonald also posted a season-best 427.65 points in the three-meter. Daniel Martin finished second in the one-meter with 332.17 points, while freshman Logan Shinholser placed second in the three-meter, earning 329.40 points.

“Mikey looked awesome again today and set an impressive pool record,” said head diving coach Ron Piemonte. “When he’s in the moment and something needs to be done, he does it. I couldn’t be happier with the women. It was exciting to see Carissa Santora place first in the one-meter and second in the three-meter as a freshman. All in all, we looked great today.”

The H₂Okies will return to War Memorial Pool next Friday, Nov. 6, to take on Kentucky at 3 p.m. They will also be in action on Saturday, Nov. 7, as the women will host ACC rivals, Duke and Miami, and the men will host just Duke. Results will be available at www.hokiesports.com following the meets.