VMI Swimming Faces Tough Competition at Davidson

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The VMI men's and women's swimming and diving teams faced Davidson College Saturday, while the women also competed against UNC-Asheville. Davidson defeated the Keydet women (212-64) and the men (153-123), while Asheville's women defeated VMI 216-63.

Freshman Sophie Svoboda broke her own school record in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:08.95, taking fifth place. She also took second in the 50-yard freestyle in 25.27.

Calle Biles won the women's one-meter diving competition with 152.78 points. The 4x50 yard freestyle relay team of Biles, Svoboda, Raquel Janes and Sarah MacDougall finished in 1:44.95.

For the men's team, John Reed captured the one-meter (231.45) and three-meter (199.65) diving events. Stephen Hopta was third in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:51.44, Andrew Mills was second in the 100-yard butterfly in 55.32 and Ryan Cooper was third the 400-yard IM in 4:27.78. Hopta was third in the 100-yard backstroke in 54.62 and fourth in the 200-yard backstroke (2:00.46), while Cooper took second in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:16.96) and fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:02.65. Ryan Schmitz completed the 50-yard freestyle in 22.30 to finish fourth and Brady Gannon was fourth in the 100-yard freestyle in 49.59.  

“We performed flat today as a whole,” said head coach Andrew Bretscher. “The highlights were Sophie breaking her 100-breast record, along with the divers winning their events.”

The Keydets are off for over a month before traveling to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Dec. 1.

“We will spend the next month improving ourselves in practice to be better prepared for UMBC at the start of December,” Bretscher said.