PITTSBURGH, PA – The Chatham University swimming & diving team knocked off Division II West Virginia Wesleyan College on Saturday, 102-84. The Cougars fell to Westminster College 126-83.

Kianna Hedjazi (So., Monroeville, PA/Gateway) broke her own school record in the 3m diving, recording 231.55 points, and finishing in first place. Hedjazi also won the 1m event, tallying 209.15 points. First-year diver Alexis Rectenwald (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Hills) finished in second place in both events, coming in with 215.06 and 199.65 points, respectively.

In the 500 yard freestyle, Melissa Puskar (Fy., Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) swam a time of 5:48.95 to finish in first place. She beat the next fastest swimmer by over 25 seconds. A pair of Chatham swimmers finished in the top three in the 200 yard breaststroke. Claudia Smith (Fy., Worthington, OH/Thomas Worthington) came in second with a time of 2:55.82, while Brianna Young (Fy., Monongahela, PA/Ringgold) was just behind in 3:05.89.

The 400 yard freestyle relay team of Puskar, Lizzie Keller (Fy., Venetia, PA/Peters Twp.), Paige Carrigan (Jr., Mt. Lebanon, PA/Mt. Lebanon), and Alexi Frederick (Fy., Irwin, PA/Norwin) finished in second place with a time of 4:22.41, just .18 seconds away from first place West Virginia Wesleyan.

Chatham will return to action on Saturday, January 19 when they host Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) foes Bethany College and St. Vincent College at 1:00pm.

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Chatham University, founded in 1869, is located in the vibrant Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA. Preparing students from around the world, Chatham's enrollment throughout the past decade was the fastest growing in the Pittsburgh region.

Consisting of a historic, undergraduate women's college and graduate and online programs for both men and women, Chatham has consistently been ranked among the top master's level institutions in the Northeast by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Offering challenging academics and innovative programming in the fields of sustainability and the environment, the health sciences, and business & entrepreneurship, a Chatham education is designed to meet the needs of tomorrow's economy, today.

Chatham has also demonstrated institutional commitments to reach carbon neutrality by 2025 as a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, has been named to The Princeton Review's 2013 Green Honor Roll as one of the most environmentally responsible universities in the U.S. and Canada, received a STARS Gold Rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and is the alma mater of environmental icon and Silent Spring author, Rachel Carson (class of '29).

For more information, call 800-837-1290 or visit www.chatham.edu.