Swimming & Diving on the Road to Liberty for Multi-Day Dual Meet This Weekend

Friday, October 18

Lynchburg, VA

6 p.m.

Tulane University

Liberty University

Swimming & Diving on the Road to Liberty for Multi-Day Dual Meet This Weekend

Oct 17, 2024 | Women's Swimming and Diving

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane swimming & diving team gets back in the pool this weekend as the program travels to Lynchburg, Virginia to take on Liberty University in a multi-day dual meet on Friday and Saturday. The live stats for the meet can be followed on Meet Mobile, which is a subscription phone-only live stat app.

The action on Friday begins at 5 p.m. CT, while Saturday's dual meet starts at 10 a.m. CT

The selected order of events goes as follows:

Friday - October 18 (9)
400 Medley Relay
500 Freestyle
200 Backstroke
200 Butterfly
3-Meter Diving
100 Breaststroke
100 Freestyle
400 Individual Medley
200 Freestyle Relay

Saturday - October 19 (10)
400 Freestyle Relay
200 Breaststroke
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
1-Meter Diving
200 Individual Medley
50 Freestyle
100 Backstroke
1000 Freestyle
200 Medley Relay

The Tulane swimming and diving team started the year by earning their first victory over Vanderbilt since 2015 in a resounding 150-87 fashion on Friday, Sept. 27, at the Reily Center Natatorium to open the season. On the day, the team recorded nine event victories in 13 events and had 24 top three finishes.

The Green Wave won each of the top three spots in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competition.

Senior Rachel Casebolt started the day with 231.08 points to earn the victory in the 3-meter dive. Graduate student Paige McKenzie placed second in the event with 218.93 points, while sophomore Taylor Cekay earned third with 211.38 points.

The same three Tulane divers also earned places in 1-meter dive to end the competition for the Green Wave as Casebolt earned the victory with 247.43, Cekay took second with a 243.00 and McKenzie placed third with a 241.43. The point totals for Casebolt and Cekay were also career bests.

In the head-to-head swim portion in the pool against the Commodores, Tulane totaled seven event victories and 18 top-three placings and outscored Vanderbilt 118-87.

Graduate transfer Catherine Russo earned individual victories in both the 50 freestyle (23.25) and the 100 butterfly (55.21). Her time in the 50 free ranked her No. 5 all-time at Tulane in the event.

Fellow graduate transfer Maya Wilson also had a pair of first place finishes for Tulane in the 200 freestyle (1:52.51) and the 100 freestyle (51.34).
The 200 freestyle relay team of freshman Rafaela Sumida, junior Grace Dale, Wilson and Russo earned the victory with a 1:34.01 in the event.

Junior Andrea Zeebe won the 200 IM (2:04.95) and finished second in the 100 backstroke (55.75).

Freshman Lise Coetzee won the 500 freestyle (5:02.90) and was the runner-up in the 200 freestyle (1:54.30).

Sumida was the runner-up in the 1000 freestyle (10:21.35).

Sophomore Gwen Shahboz took second in both the 200 IM (2:05.18) and the 100 breast (1:05.78). Her time in the 100 breast was also a collegiate best.

Dale had an individual runner-up finish in the 50 freestyle (23.95).

The 200 medley relay squad of Zeebe, junior Emma Brady, junior Olcayto Hatipoglu and Coetzee finished as the runner-up in their event with a 1:46.58.

Freshman Layla Allen earned third in the 1000 freestyle (10:47.35).

Freshman Phoebe Johnson placed third in the 500 freestyle (5:09.94).

Sophomore Paula Gaya Bisquerra earned third in the 100 breast (1:04.25).

Freshman Varvara Gkiouzepa Petropoulou took third in the 100 fly (57.40).

Freshman Charley Floyd swam a lifetime best in the 50 back (27.21) in the leadoff backstroke of the 200 medley relay to help the squad along with Gaya Bisquerra, Johnson and Shahboz earn fourth (1:47.95).

Following the action, the program was honored with both the AAC Swimmer of the Week in Russo and the league's Diver of the Week in Casebolt on Oct. 1.

Russo was the first Tulane swimmer to be named the AAC's Swimmer of the Week since Victoria Raymond took home the honor on Oct. 10, 2023. Overall, Russo was the fourth Tulane swimmer to be named the AAC's Swimmer of the Week (Victoria Raymond – Oct. 10, 2023; Kate McDonald – Dec. 15, 2020 and Feb. 12, 2019 and Paris Zhang – Jan. 20, 2018). Her being named makes her the 11th different individual that has been named a conference swimmer of the week in the program's history along with Victoria Raymond (2023 - AAC), Kate McDonald (2020 & 2019 - AAC), Paris Zhang (2018 - AAC), Elizabeth Cook (2015 – CUSA), Mia Schachter (2014 – CUSA), Kayla Alf-Huynh (2011 x 2 – CUSA), Samantha Berdine (2005 – CUSA), Linda McEachrane (2004 – CUSA), Sarah Dicharry (2004 – CUSA) and Leslie Christian (2004 – CUSA).

Casebolt was the first Tulane diver to be named the AAC's Diver of the Week since Paige McKenzie took home the honor on Feb. 2, 2021. She is just the fourth individual Tulane diver ever recognized as a weekly award winner along with Paige McKenzie (2021 – AAC), Lauren Arnold (2013 – CUSA) and Danielle Carrillo (2005 & 2004 – CUSA).

Head Coach Amanda Caldwell is in her third year leading the program. The team is coming off an outstanding 2023-24 season that resulted in 64 lifetime bests, 31 all-time top-10 school marks, four school records, an AAC individual title, an AAC Freshman of the Year Award, 11 National Invite Championship Qualifiers, a Zone Diver Qualifier and an NCAA qualifier.

The program returns 13 swimmers & divers from last season in Anna Behrman, Emma Brady, Rachel Casebolt, Taylor Cekay, Grace Dale, Reese Dunkenberger, Paula Gaya Bisquerra, Olcaytu Hatipoglu, Paige McKenzie Sydney Mullin, Gwen Shahboz, Ece Tanriverdi and Andrea Zeebe. The squad also is welcoming in 11 newcomers in Layla Allen, Lise Coetzee, Charley Floyd, Phoebe Johnson, Varvara Gkiouzepa Petropoulou, Catherine Russo, Eva Shawver, Rafaela Sumida, Lily Von Herbulis, Kelsey Weddington and Maya Wilson.

Following the dual meet against Liberty, Tulane will next be in action from Nov. 1-2 in Houston, Texas with a dual meet hosted by Rice on Friday and a head-to-head pair of dual meets on Saturday against Houston and LSU. This season the program will also travel and visit the states of Texas, Ohio, North Carolina and Florida during the regular season. Tulane will next be at home on Jan. 25, 2025 for a dual meet against Little Rock. The team wraps up the home schedule and regular season by hosting West Florida on Feb. 1 at 1:30 p.m. The 2025 AAC Swimming Championship will be held from Feb. 19-22 in Dallas, Texas at SMU.

TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball and the upcoming men's and women's basketball seasons can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane Swimming and Diving on social media @GreenWaveSwim on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.

- TulaneGreenWave -