URI swim and dive continue hot start

The Women’s Swimming and Diving team extended their winning streak to five matches, defeating Providence College 155-102 last week.

Coach Mick Westkott, who has been the head coach for 46 seasons, credited the leaders on the team for having such a successful matchup against the Friars. “We do have a lot of great leadership,” Westkott said. “They’re learning how to compete really well, and that’s the goal we have for them during the season. They get along really well and they’re having fun, it’s all the things that make up a good team.”

Coach Westkott also praised the rest of his team, noting that everyone on the roster was competing at a high level. “We swam really well, the team has really stepped it up,” Westkott said. “They finished the races just the way they’ve been working on.”

The team dominated the Friars over the matchup, tallying 11 individual wins out of a possible 16. One of the more notable events came with the 200-meter medley relay. The Rams squad, comprised of Kaitlyn Bansky, Nicole Petta, Caitlin Guccione and Maddie Horner took home the top spot in the event. Most notably, the next two teams to finish up also belonged to URI, giving the Rams a sweep of the event.

On the road ahead, the season is only going to get tougher. However, Coach Westkott mentioned that in their events thus far, the team has always risen to the occasion. “The thing that they’ve showed against Maine and La Salle, when it came down to the last events, they’ve really stepped it up,” Weskott said.

The Rams will host their next event at Tootell Aquatics Center on Friday. Westkott knows that the upcoming meet will be a real test for the Rams. “The competition at this invitational has increased over the last several years. We’re gonna have to be ready for them,” he said.