Scarlet Defeats Cream in Annual Intrasquad

Lincoln - The Scarlet worked its way to a narrow 96-91 victory over the Cream in the Nebraska swimming and diving team's annual intrasquad dual at the Devaney Natatorium on Friday afternoon.

Caterina Bisiacchi, a senior from Trieste, Italy, was the top individual scorer among all the Huskers on the day, putting up 20 points for the Cream team with a win in the 100 butterfly and second-place showings in the 200 and 500 freestyles. Bisiacchi added six points to her total by capturing a win in the one-meter diving for swimmers competition.

Returning first-team All-American Gena Jorgenson and newcomer Maisie Gilford enjoyed the biggest days for the Scarlet, as each collected 12 points with a pair of individual victories. Jorgenson recorded wins in the 200 and 500 freestyles, while Gilford swept the 50 and 100 free events. Gilford also contributed to a pair of second-place relays to add eight more points for the Scarlet.

Husker captain Maia Hall, a senior from Whitby, England, added 12 points for the Cream, including victories in the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. Hall was also part of two winning relays to help the Cream claim 16 more points.

The dual began with the 200 medley relay, as Madison Lloyd, Hall, Beatrix Tanko and Giulia Marchi teamed up for a Cream victory, but the Scarlet squad claimed the next two relay spots to secure six points. 

Jorgenson, a junior from Aberdeen, S.D., raced to her first win in the 200 freestyle for the Scarlet ahead of Bisiacchi's runner-up finish for the Cream.

Hall then claimed her first win of the day in the 200 IM, but Scarlet swimmers Marissa Laurin, Sydney McCracken and Jenna Brown swept the next three spots to tip the points in favor of the Scarlet.

Gilford, a junior from England, earned her first win for the Scarlet in the 50 free ahead of the Cream's Tanko and Marchi, before diver Abby Baxter picked up another win for the Scarlet on the one-meter board ahead of the Cream's Antonina Harned.

Bisiacchi raced to her win in the 100 fly for the Cream, ahead of the Scarlet's Brown and Jazmyn Lunn, before Gilford contributed another victory for the Scarlet in the 100 free.

Jorgenson then claimed six big points for the Scarlet by cruising to victory in the 500 freestyle, before Bisiacchi won her second title of the day for the Cream with her win on the one-meter diving event for swimmers.

Marissa Lauren (Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada) captured the only individual win of the day by a Husker freshman with her victory in the 100 backstroke for the Scarlet.

Hall then took her second title for the Cream in the 100 breast, but JoJo Randby, Amelia Riggott and Sydney McCracken finished 2-3-4 in the event to tilt the points in favor of the Scarlet.

The Cream's Kelsey Clairmont won the individual 50 free for divers, edging the Scarlet's Nettie Knapton, before the Cream added another win in the 200 free relay (Tanko, Marchi, Riley Miklos, Hall) but it was not enough to overcome the Scarlet's final total.

The Huskers kick off the regular season by playing host to a double-dual with Minnesota and South Dakota at the Devaney Natatorium on Friday, Oct. 4, at 4 p.m.