Sometimes you’re due for a bounceback.
This weekend Northwestern Swimming & Diving traveled east for back-to-back meets with Louisville and Cincinnati. On Friday, the Wildcats fell to the Cardinals on the women’s and men’s sides 166-134 and 200-100, respectively. The next day, the ’Cats defeated the Bearcats by scores of 170-129 (women’s) and 172.5-127.5 (men’s).
The Wildcats started off against a threatening Louisville team, and found themselves trailing in points quickly. Northwestern combined for just eight total event wins, and none of them were relays. Calypso Sheridan did her best to steady the ship with a three-win showing in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events and 400-yard individual medley, while teammates Sophie Angus, Malorie Han and Miriam Guevara each captured a victory. National champion diver Olivia Rosendahl won the 3-meter event but finished fourth in the 1-meter despite reaching a Z-Standard score.
The men’s side had a rough meet with just one win in sixteen events. Martos Bacarizo won in the 200-yard backstroke in his second recorded meet as a Wildcat. Though four Northwestern B-Cuts were achieved during the meet, only one of them was a new team-best for the season: DJ Hwang in a third place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle, which also was a career-best time for the sophomore.
Following up their meet at Louisville, the Wildcats met the Bearcats in Cincinnati and finished their road trip on a high note. The team combined for 19 wins, with the women taking ten and the men nabbing nine. Sheridan turned in another three-win performance, in the 100 and 200 backstroke and 200 breaststroke. Bacarizo set his new seasonal best in the 200 back. Rosendahl won the 1- and 3-meters, and the Wildcat finished the top three divers in both events.
Northwestern’s final meet before the Big Ten Championships will take place on Feb. 1 and 2. The team will host Minnesota and Purdue in tri-dual action.