NYU Swimming & Diving competed with seven other teams in the 2024 UAA Swimming & Diving Championships Feb. 14-17. The trip to the University of Chicago proved worth it, as the Violets’ men’s team finished second and the women’s team placed third.
The women’s 400-yard medley relay was off to a tough start when one of the team members was absent due to illness, but the team persevered. Sophomore Kaley McIntyre, first-year Reina Gomez sophomore Nicole Ranile and junior Anna Li, won the race in 3:41.84 — two seconds faster than the program record set in the 2020 season at 3:43.60.
“We carried our speed through the race from the beginning,” said McIntyre. “We’ve been training really hard all year, so seeing all of our hard work pay off is really exciting.”
The men’s team also excelled, with graduate student Derek Maas swimming his way to his second NYU school record time, 1:42.40 in the 200-yard backstroke. He broke his previous record by more than one second, in addition to setting a UAA record. Maas also won first place in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard individual medley and swam in the 200-yard free relay, securing four of the men’s five first-place finishes.
McIntyre also led by example, winning first place in the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle. She also swam in the first-place winning 200 and 800-yard freestyle relays. In addition to her finishes, McIntyre set a UAA record in the 200-yard freestyle and helped set one in the 800-yard freestyle relay.
“Our team was set up to do really well this weekend, and I was just excited to see what a lot of the first-years could pull out and what all my teammates could do,” McIntyre said. “This conference is always really fun. It’s a lot of energy that’s brought by all the people watching and all the teams being in one area.”
NYU’s dive team also found success through sophomore Meera Kasturi. She placed eighth in the women’s one-meter and seventh in women’s three-meter diving. Katsuri competed in the one-meter dive, which as the first diving event, can be difficult.
“It’s a lot of pressure because you haven’t seen the rest of the team compete,” Katsuri said. “There’s this kind of tension where everyone’s trying to prove themselves.”
After the first event, however, the pressure decreases, and Katsuri remembers that she has an entire team behind her.
“Everyone really feels at home on this team,” Katsuri said. “It just makes the competition so much better.”
Three Violets won awards following their performances last week. Maas and McIntyre were named Swimmer of the Year, and Calista Lynch won Rookie of the Year with her performance in the 400-yard individual medley. NYU was also awarded Coaching Staff of the Year.
NYU Swimming & Diving has three more meets on the schedule before they will attend the NCAA DIII Championships from March 20-23 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Contact Avery Hendrick at [email protected].
