Huskers Sweep Big Ten Duals at Rutgers

Gena Jorgenson, Maia Hall and Anna Vlachou each raced to a pair of individual titles to lead the Nebraska swimming and diving team to five Rutgers Aquatics Center records in two dominant dual victories over Iowa and the hosts from Rutgers on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.

Jorgenson claimed titles in the 500 and 1,650 freestyles while adding a runner-up finish in the 200 backstroke (1:57.85) to lead Nebraska to a 223-130 win over Iowa and a 210-143 victory over the Scarlet Knights. With the victories, Nebraska finished the regular season with an 8-2 dual record that includes a 4-2 Big Ten mark.

Jorgenson, a junior who claimed first-team All-America honors in the 1,650 freestyle a year ago, cruised to victory in Saturday morning's event in a time of 16:19.02, while senior teammate Caterina Bisiacchi added a second-place showing in 16:41.27.

Jorgenson and Bisiacchi opened Friday's events with a similar 1-2 finish in the 500 freestyle, with Jorgenson touching the wall in 4:46.89 and Bisiacchi following close behind in 4:50.96.

The Big Red also scored big points in the 100 breaststroke on Saturday, as senior Maia Hall raced to victory in a Rutgers Aquatics Center record time of 1:00.85. Fellow Husker seniors JoJo Randby (1:01.89) and Sydney McCracken (1:02.61) took third and fourth, respectively.

Hall earned her first individual title of the weekend by winning Friday's 200 breaststroke in 2:11.90, setting a new Rutgers Aquatics Center record.

Nebraska's most dominant event performance of the weekend came in Friday's 100 freestyle, where Anna Vlachou (50.19), Maisie Gilford (50.24) and Beatrix Tanko (50.82) swept the top three spots.

Vlachou added her second individual title in the 100 butterfly (53.38), while also swimming legs in Nebraska's victorious 200 and 400 freestyle relays. The 200 (1:31.59) and 400 (3:20.92) relays also set Rutgers Aquatics Center records.

While Vlachou had a hand in four crowns, Gilford contributed to five titles, including an individual win in the 50 free (23.03). Gilford and Tanko were both key players in Nebraska sweeping every relay victory over the weekend, while Randby played a role in three relay wins. 

True freshman Virginia Consiglio also swam the lead-off legs in Nebraska's 200 and 400 medley relay victories, while Giulia Marchi added a swim in Nebraska's 400 relay win after earning an individual title of her own in the 200 freestyle (1:48.94). Nebraska's 400 medley relay win came in a Rutgers Aquatics Center record time of 3:20.12.

Antonina Harned led the Big Red in the diving well with her second-place finish in the one-meter event with a score of 310.05 on Friday night. Kelsey Clairmont added a third-place effort on the three-meter board with a 269.80 on Saturday morning.

The Huskers continue training for the next two weeks with their focus on the postseason at the Big Ten Championships at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 19-22.

Nebraska Champions
200 Medley Relay - Virginia Consiglio, JoJo Randby, Beatrix Tanko, Maisie Gilford - 1:40.74
500 Freestyle - Gena Jorgenson - 4:46.89
200 Breaststroke - Maia Hall - 2:11.90
100 Freestyle - Anna Vlachou - 50.19
200 Freestyle Relay - Beatrix Tanko, JoJo Randby, Anna Vlachou, Maisie Gilford - 1:31.59
400 Medley Relay - Virginia Consiglio, JoJo Randby, Beatrix Tanko, Maisie Gilford - 3:39.52
1,650 Freestyle - Gena Jorgenson - 16:19.02
50 Freestyle - Maisie Gilford - 23.03
100 Breaststroke - Maia Hall - 1:00.85
100 Butterfly - Anna Vlachou - 53.38
200 Freestyle - Giulia Marchi - 1:48.94
400 Freestyle Relay - Beatrix Tanko, Giulia Marchi, Anna Vlachou, Maisie Gilford - 3:20.12