GCU falls at LSU in season opener

Saturday, October 9

Baton Rouge, La.

10 A.M.

Grand Canyon

230

LSU

10/9/2021 1:41:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

GCU at LSU Results Photo Gallery

Lopes faced tough competition in Tigers

By: Chelsie Davidson

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Grand Canyon swimming and diving teams fell to LSU in the season opener on Saturday at LSU Natatorium. The Lopes saw tough competition but are optimistic about the results after a 196-106 loss on the men's side and a 230-70 loss for the women.

GCU junior Alonso Carazo Barbero led the men's team with two first-place finishes in the 1,000-yard freestyle (9 minutes, 34.77 seconds) and the 200 breaststroke (2:04.02). Carazo Barbero also finished second in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:51.40.

Lopes junior Mikhail Lyubavskiy won the 500 freestyle with a dominant time of 4:36.79. GCU's Adrian Curbelo Tejera also earned a win in the 100 butterfly by an arm's length. He finished with a time of 49.59.

Sophomore transfer Jack Armstrong finished seconds behind LSU's 2020 Tokyo Olympian Brooks Curry in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.19.

Armstrong and senior Florent Janin collected top-three finishes in the 100 freestyles. Armstrong placed second in a time of 45.83 with Janin following closely behind at 45.90.

The women's team was led by senior Emily Muteti, who won the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.69, gliding past her opponents. Muteti also earned a third-place finish in the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.67. Junior Briana Rittenbach finished with a time of 56.98.

The freshmen came to compete and earned a couple top-three finishes. Aleksandra Wegrzynowska took third in the 200 freestyle (52.61). María Chatzi and Maria Brunlehner took third and fourth place, respectively, in the 100 freestyle with times of 52.61 and 52.76.

Sophomore Lizzy McKnight placed fourth in the 1-meter event while sophomore Isaac Poole took third place. McKnight earned 266.55 points for a zone-qualifying score while Poole finished with a score of 283.58.

Sophomores Nicholas Gunn and Lizzy Mcknight each took a third-place finish in diving with Gunn scoring 271.35 on the 3-meter board and Mcknight taking third on the 1-meter board with a score of 273.15 and also getting fourth at 3 meters.

To end the meet, the Lopes' finished second in both 400 freestyle relays. The men's race was tight with the Lopes in the lead until LSU made a huge comeback for the Tigers win.

Up next, the swimmers will have a week off while the divers head to the California Baptist Invitational in Riverside, California, on Oct. 15-16.