Bridgeport Swimmers Off To A Strong Start At 2014 Metropolitan Conference Championship Meet

Piscataway, N.J.-It was a strong opening night for the University of Bridgeport swim teams, as the Purple Knights won a total of eight events, and both squads are in second place in the team standings after day one of the 2014 Metropolitan Conference Championship Meet being held at the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center on the campus of Rutgers University.  The UB women amassed a total of 314 points on Friday night and trail first place LIU Post (454 points); while the Bridgeport men scored 382 points and are behind first place, the College of New Jersey (454 points).

The Purple Knights got off to a quick start on Friday, as UB won both the women's and men's 200-Yard Free Relays.  The women's team of Tatiana Shepel (So., Moscow, Russia), Elena Shchekleina  (So., Yekaterinburg, Russia), Alina Sotnikova (Jr., Riga, Latvia) and Armony Dumur (Sr., Amiens, France) turned in a meet, conference and UB record time of 1:34.04.  That time is also an NCAA "B" cut.  In the same event for the men, the foursome of Ruben Gimenez (Sr. Burgos, Spain),  Ivan Capan (So.,  Zagreb, Croatia), Vladislav Paskas (Jr., Zrenjanin, Serbia) and Oscar Pereiro (Sr., Arzua, Spain) swam a 1:20.71, which is also an NCAA "B" cut clocking.

Individual event winners for the Bridgeport women on Friday were junior Adeline Martin (Antibes, France) in the 200-Yard IM in a time of 2:02.04 which is an NCAA Championship automatic qualifying time, plus a UB and championship meet record performance, and Tatiana Shepel took first in the 50-Yard Free with a swift 23.41 which is a new Purple Knights' school record.  Shepel also swam the exact same time in her leg of the 200 Free Relay.

On the men's side, individual event winners on Friday were junior Ivan Sangines (Barcelona, Spain) in the 500-Yard Free (4:31.11), and Ruben Gimenez took first in the 50-Yard Free (20.12) just touching out teammate Oscar Pereiro (20.14).

As they did in the first events of the completion, the Purple Knights closed out the Metro's first night with a flourish, as both teams won the 400-Yard Medley Relays.  The Bridgeport women won that event in a time of 3:44.14 which is the fastest time in Division II right now plus a championship meet and UB record.  Sophomore Jaimy Lee Taskin (Noordeijkerhout, Holland), Adeline Martin, Armony Dumur and Tatiana Shepel   teamed up for the win in the women's 400 Medley Relay.  For the men, Oscar Pereiro, Vyacheslav Fattakhov (Jr., Almatt, Kazakhstan), Didac Matsuyama (So., Barcelona, Spain) and Ruben Gimenez grabbed first place in a championship meet record time of 3:15.35.

Action continues in the 2014 Metropolitan Conference Championship Meet through Sunday.