DAVENPORT, Iowa - Quincy swimming turned in another strong performance on Friday evening at St. Ambrose, with the Hawks winning the combined meet by a score of 248–186. The men's squad continued their unbeaten start, rolling to a 139–75 victory to move to 2–0 on the year. The women, meanwhile, showed grit and determination after falling into an early hole due to St. Ambrose's diving advantage. Despite outpacing the Bees in the swimming portion of the meet, Quincy narrowly dropped a 111–109 heartbreaker to fall to 1–2 on the season.
The men's team was powered by standout individual performances and depth across nearly every event. Senior distance specialist Wyatt Walsh made history in the 1000-yard freestyle, clocking a time of 9:36.15 to set a new team record and blow away the field by more than a minute.
Walsh later added a victory in the 100 backstroke, where he out-touched St. Ambrose's top swimmer by four hundredths of a second in one of the closest races of the meet. Freshman Haniel Kudwoli delivered another program milestone, racing to a 54.84 in the 100-yard breaststroke — a new team record and one of the fastest marks in the country to date.
In the middle distances, Denislav Koykov swept both the 200 free and 500 free, pacing the field with smooth opening splits and finishing strong in the back half of both races. Sprint strength also carried the Hawks, as junior Santiago Leiva led a Quincy 1–3–4 finish in the 50 free, hitting the wall first at 20.99.
Senior Marcelo Rojas doubled up with wins in the 200 IM and 100 fly, each time controlling the race from start to finish. The Hawks closed the night in style as Walsh, Leiva, Martiniano Montero, and Koykov combined for a 3:09.50 in the 400 free relay, edging out two other relays under 3:10 in a thrilling finish that showcased Quincy's relay depth.
On the women's side, the Hawks entered the evening in a tough position, trailing 16–0 before the first race began due to diving points they could not match without a facility. Still, Quincy refused to fold, clawing back with steady points across events and several strong wins.
Sophomore Ellie Benjamin set the tone with a victory in the 200 IM, pulling away on the freestyle leg to grab nine points. Olga Pucarevic followed with a commanding swim in the 100 fly, winning by over five seconds and showing her ability to control the sprint butterfly race.
Veteran Lise Puissant continued the surge with a win in the 100 back, where Quincy piled up points with four of the top five finishers all wearing maroon and gold. Freshman distance swimmer Laiken Vorthmann turned in one of the closest races of the night in the 500 free, touching in 5:26.56 to edge St. Ambrose's top finisher by just under half a second.
Senior Faith Cummings capped Quincy's victories with a win in the 100 breaststroke, powering home with a strong second 50 to seal the race. The Hawks also pushed St. Ambrose to the limit in the 400 free relay, finishing less than five seconds behind the Bees in the night's final race.
First-Place Finishes
Men
1000 Free – Wyatt Walsh, 9:36.15 (Team Record)
200 Free – Denislav Koykov, 1:40.52
50 Free – Santiago Leiva, 20.99
200 IM – Marcelo Rojas, 1:52.72
100 Fly – Marcelo Rojas, 50.99
100 Back – Wyatt Walsh, 53.70
500 Free – Denislav Koykov, 4:41.94
100 Breast – Haniel Kudwoli, 54.84 (Team Record)
400 Free Relay – Walsh, Leiva, Montero, Koykov, 3:09.50
Women
200 IM – Ellie Benjamin, 2:19.12
100 Fly – Olga Pucarevic, 58.65
100 Back – Lise Puissant, 1:03.09
500 Free – Laiken Vorthmann, 5:26.56
100 Breast – Faith Cummings, 1:08.24
The Hawks will be back in action on the road against Grinnell College on Saturday, October 25, at 1:00 PM inside Russell K. Osgood Pool and Deck/Natatorium in Grinnell, Iowa.
