CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Queens men's and women's swimming welcomed Duke into the Levine Center this past weekend, in hopes of continuing their hot starts. Both teams competed hard race after race, with the men's side coming out on top with a commanding 168-94 victory over the Blue Devils. The women's side posted impressive times managed 92 points of their own but would fall, 165-92.

Men's Swimming
The men's side improved to 4-1 in head-to-head competition with their victory over the Blue Devils. 

Jan Delkeskamp and Alex Kunert played a large role in the team's success over the weekend, each contributing to 22 of Queens' point total on the day.

Kunert was dominant from start to finish, competing in four events and earning first-place finishes in three of them. His day kicked off with an impressive 1:37.51 time in the 200-yard freestyle, taking the top spot by just over a second. He followed that up with a second-place finish in the 50-freestyle at 20.24, just finishing behind teammate Matej Dusa (20.06). After the break, he dashed to a 48.60 first-place finish in the 100-yard fly, finishing .31 seconds ahead of his entry time. He concluded his day with a speedy 19.84 time in the second leg of the 200-yard free relay which would also take first place.

Delkeskamp competed in four events and earned points in all four, including two first-place finishes. His impressive performance in the breaststroke events were where he shined brightest, earning first-place finishes in the 100-yard (55.07) and the 200-yard (2:00.74). In the men's 200-yard IM, he would take the second spot with a time of 1:50.49. He swam the second leg of the 200-medley relay in 24.96, contributing to a third-place finish.

Luke Erwee continues to feature as one of Queens' premier distance swimmers. In the 500-free and the 1000-free, he dashed to first place finishes to help contribute to Queens' victory. He finished at 4:34.53 in the 500, and touched the wall at 9:25.62 in the 1000. He also swam the third leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay which would take third. 

Matej Dusa continues to compete at a high level, grabbing two first-place victories in the 50-free (20.06) and swimming the initial leg of the winning 200-yard free relay team that would take first, finishing his portion at 19.74. His time of 44.97 in the 100-free would also take third place.

Other first-place finishers include Alexander Bauch (100-yard backstroke, 48.43), Yannick Plasil (200-yard fly, 1:49.41), Daniel Meszaros (100-yard freestyle, 44.84), Andreas Marz (200-yard backstroke).

Women's Swimming
While the women's side fell short, there were still many impressive times that were posted and are promising moving forward this season. 

Queens dominated in the 200-yard IM, finishing in the top-three positions. Annika Huber took the top spot, coming in at 2:07.54. Tova Andersson quickly followed in second at 2:08.39, with Carolina Lawrence wrapping up the top-three at 2:13.75.

In the 100-yard freestyle, Monica Gumina and Danielle Melilli continue to dash ahead of the competition as they have all season, taking first and second, respectively. Gumina claimed the top spot at 51.23, while Melilli touched the wall shortly after at 51.79. Melilli also earned points for the Royals in the 50-yard freestyle placing second with a time of 23.54, while Gumina would take second in the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.47).

Sophie Lange's strength in distance events once again came out, as she took second at 10:13.04.

The women's side concluded the day on a high note, taking both first in the second in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Melilli and Gumina swam the first two legs of the winning team, with Ryley Heck and Ayvah Johnson finishing off the tail end of the top finish (1:34.75). Andersson kicked off the second-place winning squad, followed by Daryna Maznytska, Emma Gustafson, and Bethany Glen who all swam sub 26.00 times to finish second at 1:39.95.

The meet with Duke is the final competition for both sides for this year. Both teams will return to the Levine Center on January 7 and will host another pair of elite squads in Tennessee and Virginia Tech.

Social Media
Be sure to follow the Royals men's and women's swimming teams on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest news surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics to stay updated on all the Royals sports teams in action by searching @QueensAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.