Wilmington, N.C.----The UNC Wilmington men’s and women’s swimming teams swept a dual meet with NCAA Division II powerhouse Wingate University Saturday at the Seahawk Natatorium. The UNCW men earned a tough 134-110 decision, while the Seahawk women outscored the Bulldogs 154-108.

Wingate sophomores Marko Blazevski (Skopje, Macedonia) and Liubomyr Lemeshko (Poltava, Ukraine) won two events each for the Bulldogs. Blazevski won the 500 and the 1000 Freestyle distance races, while Lemeshko touched first in the 100 Butterfly and the 200 Butterfly. Bulldog sophomore diver Lindsey Taylor (Charlotte, N.C.) won the one-meter and three-meter women’s diving events.
 
UNC Wilmington men 134, #5 Wingate 110
 
The Wingate men won six individual events Saturday. Blazevski posted a victorious 9:31.56 finish in the 1000 Freestyle. Junior teammate Cole Dutton (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) was second with a time of 9:46.50. In the 500 Freestyle, Blazevski touched first with a time of 4:37.42, leading a 1-2-3 showing by the Bulldogs. Sophomore Iaroslav Denysenko (Poltava, Ukraine) was second, while Dutton was third.
 
Lemeshko’s gold medal times were 49.23 (100 Butterfly) and 1:51.87 (200 Butterfly). He swam a leg on Wingate’s second-place 400 Freestyle Relay team. The host Seahawks edged Wingate by five-tenths of a second (3:05.35 to 3:05.86). Lemeshko was joined on the relay by Denysenko, junior Rory Julyan (Cape Town, South Africa) and freshman newcomer Issam Zeraidi (Brussels, Belgium).
 
Denysenko won the 200 Freestyle (1:40.29), while sophomore Tim Kniffler (Mulheim, Germany) took the checkered flag in the 200 Backstroke (1:52.81). Bulldog junior Spencer Waganaar (Satellite Beach, Fla.) was second in the 200 Individual Medley with a time of 1:55.06.
 
UNC Wilmington women 154, #22 Wingate 108
 
A 2011 NCAA Division II All-American diver in her first intercollegiate season, Taylor scored 276.67 points to win the one-meter diving competition. She posted 285.52 points in her victorious three-meter diving appearance. The Bulldogs picked up two individual victories and one relay triumph Saturday.

Wingate junior Paige Schmidt (Clearwater, Fla.) won the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:15.48. She led a 1-2-3 finish by the Bulldogs, as junior Elly Speer (Manly, Sydney, Australia) and freshman Amy Saunders (Brisbane, Australia) earned second and third-place, respectively. Schmidt was second in the 1000 Freestyle (10:34.40), while Speer was second in the 200 Butterfly (2:12.68). Sophomore Valerie Dembny (Bremen, Germany) was second in the 200 Individual Medley (2:11.25).

Bulldog sophomore Alexandra Andrechuk (Ajax, Ontario, Canada) touched first in the 200 Breaststroke (2:34.36), leading a 1-2-3 Wingate placement. Freshman Luisa Santiesteban (Chihuahua, Mexico) was second, while freshman Victoria Tormenti (Willow Spring, N.C.) was third.

Wingate senior Malin Kersmark (Malin-Bjarred, Sweden) swam the first leg for Wingate’s triumphant 400 Freestyle Relay team (3:46.95). She was joined (in order) by Saunders, senior Brittany Pales (Moon Township, Pa.) and sophomore Amanda Gilbert (Metairie, La.).

Wingate will host the Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship meet Feb. 15-18 at the Mecklenburg County Aquatics Center (MCAC) pool in downtown Charlotte. In 2011, the Wingate men won their fourth consecutive BMC championship, while the Bulldog women finished a close second at the same event. At the 2011 NCAA championships, the Wingate men earned a school record fifth-place finish, while the Bulldog women were 17th.