Benedetta Pepe Pugliese of UNC Pembroke Closes Out Strong Week for Conference Carolinas at NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships
GENEVA, Ohio - Benedetta Pepe Pugliese of UNC Pembroke closed out a solid week for Conference Carolinas at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships at the SPIRE Institute Aquatics Center.
Pepe Pugliese's time of 2:19.32 in the prelims on Saturday did not allow her to advance to the 200-yard breaststroke finals. Two days earlier, Pepe Pugliese improved her prelim time by over two seconds in the 400 IM to 4:23.44 to collect her first-ever All-America honors. The Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year finished 14th overall in the event.
Conference Carolinas Swimmer of the Year Susana Ungo of Emmanuel claimed All-America honors in two different events at the 2024 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships. Ungo earned first-team All-America honors in the 200-yard butterfly. She originally qualified for the finals in the event after posting a school-record time of 2:00.02 in the prelims. Ungo swam slightly slower in the finals, but still finished with a top-notch time of 2:00.51 to collect eighth-place. She also garnered All-America honors in the 100-yard butterfly. Ungo's time of 54.81 allowed her to finish 13th overall in the event.
Fatima Portillo of UNC Pembroke also represented Conference Carolinas at the NCAA Division II championships in the 200-yard butterfly prelims, but her time of 2:05.31 did not allow her to advance to the finals.