Spring Break
The Daily OrangeSwim | Close finishes not enough for SU vs. deeper Pittsburgh
By Tyler Dunne
Posted: 10/29/07, 1:12 AM EST Section: Sports
As Pittsburgh's Katie Cutrell drafted one stride behind Syracuse's Natalie Mazzetta in the 1,000-yard freestyle, Panthers coach Chuck Knoles tirelessly paced Ted Webster Pool. Along the way, he tightened his lips and made a loud birdlike whistling sound, while pumping his outstretched arms up and down as if he were milking a cow.
For 20 laps, Knoles' motivation worked. Over the next 20, Mazzetta shifted to a new gear, clicked cruise control and won by a commanding 16.41 seconds.
"I'm a back-half swimmer, so I try to stay with them in the beginning and just pick it up," Mazzetta said. "I knew in the back of my head that I had to pick it up, and I was hoping she wouldn't stay with me."
She didn't. But the lopsided races in favor of Syracuse ended there.
In the first Big East meet of their season, the Syracuse men and women swimming teams lost to at home to Pittsburgh Saturday. The men (1-1) fell 154-89, while the women (1-1) lost 155-86. A deep Panthers team, which boasts 36 more athletes than Syracuse, nosed out continuous photo finishes, and the Orange couldn't recover.
"We raced well," Syracuse coach Lou Walker said. "There were a lot of times when the race was close and we didn't get to the wall first."
The difference between first and second place was often inconclusive with the naked eye. Pittsburgh won all four relays by two seconds or less and narrowly edged Syracuse in several individual events. The men and women each gave up 10 points during a flurry of four tightly contested losses.
Hungary-native Agnes Mago tipped the first domino by beating Syracuse's Sarah Manning, 1:55.24 to 1:55.77 in the 200-yard freestyle. The ensuing men's heat, Boldizsar Kiss lost to Pittsburgh's Alex McLaren, 1:44.62 to 1:44.77. One event later, Andrzej Dubiel ousted Ryan Corcoran by .12 of a second in the 50-yard free, followed by Cookie McIntyre's win over Syracuse's Dani Stein in the 200-yard individual medley by .56 of a second.
For 20 laps, Knoles' motivation worked. Over the next 20, Mazzetta shifted to a new gear, clicked cruise control and won by a commanding 16.41 seconds.
"I'm a back-half swimmer, so I try to stay with them in the beginning and just pick it up," Mazzetta said. "I knew in the back of my head that I had to pick it up, and I was hoping she wouldn't stay with me."
She didn't. But the lopsided races in favor of Syracuse ended there.
In the first Big East meet of their season, the Syracuse men and women swimming teams lost to at home to Pittsburgh Saturday. The men (1-1) fell 154-89, while the women (1-1) lost 155-86. A deep Panthers team, which boasts 36 more athletes than Syracuse, nosed out continuous photo finishes, and the Orange couldn't recover.
"We raced well," Syracuse coach Lou Walker said. "There were a lot of times when the race was close and we didn't get to the wall first."
The difference between first and second place was often inconclusive with the naked eye. Pittsburgh won all four relays by two seconds or less and narrowly edged Syracuse in several individual events. The men and women each gave up 10 points during a flurry of four tightly contested losses.
Hungary-native Agnes Mago tipped the first domino by beating Syracuse's Sarah Manning, 1:55.24 to 1:55.77 in the 200-yard freestyle. The ensuing men's heat, Boldizsar Kiss lost to Pittsburgh's Alex McLaren, 1:44.62 to 1:44.77. One event later, Andrzej Dubiel ousted Ryan Corcoran by .12 of a second in the 50-yard free, followed by Cookie McIntyre's win over Syracuse's Dani Stein in the 200-yard individual medley by .56 of a second.
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