MONTCLAIR, N.J. (October 7, 2023) – Sophomore Natalia Brunetti won three events but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's swimming team fell to Montclair State University 166-96 Saturday in a season-opening meet at the Panzer Athletic Center. 

Individually, Brunetti touched the wall first in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly races, posting times of 1:01.35 and 2:18.05, respectively. The Richmond, California native also swam the third leg of the Ducks' winning 200-yard medley relay team (1:52.21), where she was joined by junior Kai Wong and sophomores Adriana Bertolotti and Gabby Sokolik. 

Rourke Peralta won a total of four races to lead Montclair State to a season-opening victory as the Red Hawks improved to 1-0, while the Ducks dropped to 0-1. Montclair's win snapped the Ducks' five-dual winning streak against the Red Hawks, but Stevens still leads the all-time series 7-6.

The meet marked the collegiate debuts of first-years Abigail Rosingana, Kylie Martinez and Anjali Gupta.

The Rundown

• The Ducks got off to a fast start, claiming first and third in the 200-yard medley relay, which opened the meet. However, Montclair State won the next four events. Brunetti's first win of the day slowed down the Red Hawks, but Peralta won the 50-yard freestyle by a second-and-a-half to restart Montclair's run.
• Brunetti's next victory came in event 23 as the second-year swimmer finished a full second ahead of her closest competitor in the 100 Fly. 
• The Ducks had six second-place and five third-place finishes. Junior Melissa Misurelli (1:04.12) took second in the 100-yard backstroke, while Bertolotti (1:11.88) and junior Sophie Patz (1:12.49) finished second and third, respectively, in the 100-yard breaststroke. Tyer (2:22.90) finished behind Brunetti in the 200-yard butterfly, while senior Keenan Yates (26.14 seconds) and Wong (26.19) finished second and third, respectively, in the 50 Free. The Ducks also finished second and third in the 200-yard backstroke, with Wong (2:19.05) and Misurelli (2:20.33) totaling seven points. Sokolik (2:37.91) took third in the 200-yard breaststroke and Tyer placed third in the 500 Free (5:44.07), while Patz (2:21.60) took second in the 200 IM to round out the Ducks' top-three individual finishes. 
• The Ducks' 400-yard freestyle relay team of Brunetti, Yates, Sokolik and Wong took second with a time of 3:49.67 to round out the Ducks' day.

Top Performers

• Brunetti was the Ducks' top scorer, accumulating 18 points with her three first-place finishes and one second.
• Wong and classmates Patz and Misurelli joined sophomore Gabby Tyer as the Ducks' second-highest scorers, accounting for seven points each. 
• Bertolotti and Yates added six points each to the Ducks' total as the team's third-highest scorers.
• Stevens posted second and third-place finishes in the 100 Breast, the 50 Free and the 200 Back.

For the Opponents

• In addition to Peralta, Sophia Shopovick won three races, while Marianne Tassinari and Julie Tiedmann each won two. 
• Tassinari was the Red Hawks' second-best scorer, accounting for 20 points.

Around the MAC

• Stevenson 180, Marywood 71

Coach's Comments

• "It was a great meet to start off our season with. We had a lot of close races with Montclair that unfortunately didn't go our way. Great racing today by everyone. A highlight was Nat Brunetti, who won two individual events, as well as some nice individual swims from Gabby Tyer, Kai Wong, Melissa Misurelli and Abby Rosingana. Overall, it was a good way to start the first half of our season and we are excited for Rowan in two weeks." – head coach Adam Schneider

Up Next

• Stevens returns to the pool on Oct. 21, when the Ducks head to southern New Jersey to take on Rowan. The Ducks have dropped three straight duals to the Profs, but lead the all-time series 4-3. The meet on the 21st will be the first between the teams contested in Glassboro since Oct. 31, 2015.Links for live video and/or stats will be posted to StevensDucks.com as they become available.

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