By Charlotte Wells on SwimSwam
WVU vs Pittsburgh
January 10, 2026 Morgantown, West Virginia SCY (25 yards) Results Final scores: Women: Pitt – 206, WVU – 93 Men: Pitt – 180, WVU – 119The University of Pittsburgh men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams toppled longtime rival West Virginia in the latest edition of the Backyard Brawl in Morgantown. The Panther women emerged victorious with 206 points over WVU’s 93, while the men prevailed with 180 points against the Mountaineers’ 119.
Pitt and WVU have a longstanding rivalry in the pool, although Pitt has held the upper hand for the past few years. The Panthers have walked away with a double victory each year since 2022, with this iteration of their annual competition marking the fifth year in a row that the Panthers have bested the Mountaineers on both the men’s and women’s sides.
Women’s Recap
Pitt’s women’s team dominated the competition against WVU, winning 15 out of 16 events to post a decisive 113-point victory over the Mountaineers.
Claire Jansen was a top contributor for the Panthers, bringing home two individual victories and two relay victories. She won the 100 free in a lifetime best time of 50.00, shaving .62 off of her previous time from June 2023, and the 200 free in 1:47.83, just over half a second off of her best.
Pitt’s Emily Bucaro led the field in the distance events on Saturday, prevailing in the 1000 free in 9:57.50, less than one second off of her lifetime best (9:56.82) and touching first by almost 14 seconds. She took 2nd in the 500 free in 4:56.34 behind teammate Mary Clarke, who won in 4:54.89.
The Panthers completed their sweep of the freestyle events with a 1-2 finish in the 50 free, led by Sof Tijunelis with a personal best time of 23.23. Tijunelis just barely edged out teammate Avery Hafele, who got her hand on the wall in 23.24.
Meanwhile, Pitt’s Angelina Messina swept the breaststroke events, taking home the title in the 100 breast (1:02.08) and 200 breast (2:15.25).
Pitt proved victorious in both the diving events, notably boasting a sweep of the top five spots in the 1-meter, led by Rachel Dickerson with 326.33 points. Mariana Osorio Mendoza took home the win on the 3-meter, turning in a score of 304.20 points, while Dickerson snagged the runner-up spot with a personal best score of 285.30 points.
West Virginia’s Maddie Smutny brought home the Mountaineers’ only individual victory on the women’s side, prevailing in the 200 fly in 2:00.31, just over a second off of her lifetime best (1:59.02).
Men’s Recap
The men’s side of the competition was not much closer, with Pitt racking up 180 points to beat WVU’s 119 despite the Mountaineers managing to snag three victories to help hold off the Panthers a bit longer.
Pitt’s Alan Vergine led the charge with two individual victories, picking up an early win in the 200 free (1:35.54) before prevailing in the 500 free (4:29.07), logging a new best time in the 500. Vergine also posted a runner-up finish in the 200 fly (1:45.95), racing into the wall behind teammate Julian Koch (1:44.79).
Koch brought home another victory in the 100 fly, turning in a time of 46.97.
Ryan Nordheim was another top contributor for the Panthers, helping to get the momentum going early as the anchor on the winning 200 medley relay. He was joined by teammates Mason Leach, Eli Hobson and Koch, with the squad posting an overall time of 1:26.83.
Nordheim later won the 50 free in 20.52 and took the runner-up spot in the 100 free in 44.88, close behind fellow Panther James Allison (44.22).
Pitt swept the diving events, with Noah Bernard claiming the top spot on both the 1-meter and 3-meter, posting scores of 398.18 and 344.93 points, respectively.
The Mountaineers’ performances were highlighted by freshman Jake Salcedo, who claimed WVU’s first victory of the meet with a time of 9:18.73 in the 1000 free. His performance marked his seventh individual victory so far this season.
Fellow freshman Liam Aleman picked up a victory in the 200 breast, racing into the wall in a personal best time of 1:58.15.
Joey Stebbins snagged another win for WVU, prevailing in the 200 back in 1:46.40, just .8 off of his lifetime best time (1:45.80).
Up Next
WVU is back in action this weekend, competing in the Big East Showdown from January 16-17. Pitt will return to action on January 23, when they host Villanova for the Panthers’ Senior Day.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Pitt Men & Women Take Down Long-Time Rivals West Virginia in Backyard Brawl
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