University at Buffalo
Miami (OH)
Swim & Dive Celebrates Senior Day by Defeating RedHawks
1/31/2026 3:10:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo swimming and diving program celebrated senior day on Saturday in the Alumni Arena Natatorium, hosting Miami (OH) in a Mid-American Conference matchup. The Bulls defeated the RedHawks, 171-129, improving to 5-2 on the season in head-to-head competitions.
"There's always a lot of emotion with senior day," said Head Coach Andy Bashor. "I felt like the team used that emotion in a really good way. From the very beginning, we had great energy and we just kept it going by winning close races against a very good Miami team. With MAC Championships a month away, we'll get our training in, let them rest and let their bodies heal. This was a really good way to end the dual meet season and keep that momentum going into conference championships.
IN THE POOL
Elise McCaul got the Bulls' momentum going in the pool by winning the 1,000-yard freestyle. The senior's time of 10:16.07 was just shy of her personal best, which ranks eighth in program history (10:12.29). Ava Cunningham trailed to take third for the Bulls (10:20.19) and Karen Austin earned another top-five finish (5th, 10:31.96). Austin's time was a season best.
The Bulls continued their momentum into the 200-yard freestyle, with freshman Alex Bulat earning first place and posting a personal best time of 1:50.40. Abbey Gardner trailed to secure second for the Bulls with a time of 1:50.63.
Vivian Roy (2nd, 56.34) and Hattie Wasmuth (4th, 56.95) earned two of the top four spots in the 100-yard backstroke for the Bulls. Alex Ericson (5th, 58.73) trailed to put a third Buffalo swimmer inside the top five.
Pinar Donmez earned the Bulls' third event win of the afternoon, taking the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.31. The freshman was under a second shy of her personal best in the event that ranks third in program history (1:01.72). Ava Pauly (2nd, 1:02.37) and Grace Rider (4th, 1:03.35) trailed to put three Bulls inside the top four.
Freshman Kamilla Nemes won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:01.08. Nemes' time fell just shy of the program's all-time top 10 (2:00.85). Bella Forsman trailed to take second place (2:01.52) and Maddy Schnelzer earned fifth (2:05.74) to put three Bulls inside the top five.
Jillian Strine posted a season-best time in the 50-yard freestyle of 23.53 to earn second place in the event. Nicole Aguilar trailed to finish third with a time of 23.64. Amanda Jurgelon earned another top-five finish for the Bulls, placing fifth with a time of 23.84.
Strine doubled back to place second in the 100-yard freestyle with another season-best time of 51.05. Forsman followed to earn third (51.46) and secure two of the top three spots for the Bulls.
Donmez earned her second event win of the afternoon in the 200-yard breaststroke. The freshman took first place with a time of 2:14.80, less than a second shy of her school record in the event (2:13.98). The Bulls had four more swimmers pile into the top five, with Rider in third (2:18.72), Pauly placing fourth (2:19.99) and Madi Tewksbury finishing fifth (2:21.56).
Nemes (2nd, 5:01.11), McCaul (3rd, 5:02.21) and Cunningham (4th, 5:02.22) earned three of the top five spots in the 500-yard freestyle.
Aguilar posted the Bulls sixth event win in the pool, winning the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 55.25. Schnelzer (4th, 56.22) and Kaley Ream (5th, 59.26) also had top-five placements.
Forsman added another win for the Bulls in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:01.34. Donmez placed third in the event (2:03.41) and Nemes finished fourth (2:04.14). Forsman's time was a season best and fell just shy of her personal best in the event that ranks sixth in program history (2:01.15).
The program closed out the afternoon in the pool by winning the 400-yard freestyle. Bulat, Jurgelon, Aguilar and Strine earned first place with a time of 3:22.33, just beating out Miami's relay team, who posted a time of 3:22.45. The Bulls were just shy of their season-best time in the event (3:22.10).
All swimming results are available here.
DIVING WELL
The Bulls earned six of the top eight spots in the three-meter. Adele Melamud was the team's top finisher, placing second with a score of 266.78. Mallory Hanna earned third (263.55) to put two Buffalo divers inside the top three. Sophie Meuwissen finished fifth (246.53) to earn another top-five finish for the Bulls. Tristan Krajcarski placed sixth (240.15), with Presley Dorsett in seventh (238.50) and Maggie Meyers in eighth (235.88).
The Bulls rallied to earn the top three spots in one-meter diving. Melamud won the event, her ninth event win on the season, posting a score of 265.80. Meuwissen placed second (258.15) and Krajcarski took third (252.75) to secure the top three spots for the Bulls. The Buffalo divers continued to pack into the top 10, with Dorsett finishing sixth (238.05), Hanna in seventh (233.5), Fox in ninth (214.65) and Meyers taking 10th (204.15).
All diving results are available here.
UP NEXT
The Bulls will next compete at Mid-American Conference Championships from February 25th through February 28th at the University of Akron. Information on MAC Championships can be accessed here. A complete schedule for UB Swimming & Diving can be found here.
For all the latest on UB Swimming & Diving, check out the official website of the Buffalo Bulls, and follow the program on Instagram (@UBSwimDiveTeam), X (@UBSwimDiveTeam) and Facebook ("Buffalo Bulls Swimming and Diving").
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Players Mentioned
