BOSTON, Mass. - Sophomore Katie Kolozsvari posted a career day as the Mount Holyoke College swimming & diving team was in action at Simmons University on Saturday afternoon. Despite a 197-103 loss to the Sharks, the Lyons saw their diving squad excel in outstanding fashion.
In the 1-meter event, junior Samantha Nemivant, Kolozsvari and rookie Kathryn Murphy went 1-2-3 on the six-dive option. Nemivant recorded a score fo 257.15 points, Kolozsvari had a 239.10, while Murphy had a mark of 229.75. In an effort to record an NCAA Qualifying mark for Kolozsvari, an additional five dives were added for the 11-dive option. She went on to not only achieve the mark on the 1-meter (11-dive) with a score of 405.10 points, but also set the Holmes Sports Center Natatorium record for points in an 11-dive set for the one-meter board (formerly held by Elisabeth McQuaid of Regis in 2017) with 381.78 and broke the pool record for 11 dives on the three-meter board as well surpassing Amanda Dirksmeier of Simmons mark of 333.60 from 2010.
In the 3-meter event, Kolozsvari grabbed the victory with a score of 240.70 points, edging out Nemivant, who posted second with a score of 240.10 points. Murphy took third off the 3-meter as well with a score of 233.85 points. Another five dives were added in the 3-meter as Kolozsvari posted an exhibition, but NCAA Qualifying score of 415.95 points. Murphy notched a 387.30 score.
In the swimming events, the Lyons 400-yard medley relay team of sophomores Ashton Bliss, Caitlyn Richmond, Naomi Brown and Tamara Mukulu took fourth with a time of 4:40.19. Junior Natalie Burkett went on to take third in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 12:18.31, while senior captain Delany Berry was fourth with a time of 12:40.83.
Brown went on to place fourth in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:12.09, while sophomores Riley Hicks and Courtney Dunham were fifth (2:12.11) and sixth (2:18.57), respectively. Richmond went on to earn third in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 31.75, while in the 50-yard breaststroke, rookies Emma Sullivan, Gigi Picard, Adrienne Corr and Shloka Gidwani earned fifth (37.59), sixth (37.80), seventh (37.87) and eighth (40.47), respectively.
Bliss, Berry and sophomore Laraiba Seibou were fifth (1:09.41), sixth (1:20.28) and seventh (1:22.32), respectively in the 100-yard butterfly, while in the 50-yard freestyle, Mukulu earned the victory, touching the wall in a time of 26.55. Senior Kate Flaherty was close behind in third with a mark of 28.92.
Hicks took second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 1:01.14, while the 100-yard backstroke saw Richmond, sophomore Allyn Dunlap and Dunham go three (1:09.54), four (1:16.56) and fifth (1:16.73).
In the 50-fly, Brown earned the victory with a time of 28.39, while Mukulu was runner-up with a time of 28.57 - also taking second in the ensuing 100-yard individual medley with a mark of 1:08.35.
Wrapping up the event was the 400-yard freestyle relay as Corr, Richmond, Brown and Hicks finished fourth with a time of 4:10.49.
Mount Holyoke is now idle until February 9th when it hosts Smith College at the MHC Natatorium. Start time is 1pm for the dual meet, which will also mark Senior Day for the Lyons class of 2019.
