Swimmers from the University of Lodz with medals
In general classification the UL swimmers won two medals. On the first day of the competition, after a fierce battle, the 4x50m freestyle relay team including Nestor Zinkovski, Maciej Woźniak, Patryk Pawlaczyk and Jakub Kraska won silver medal. On Sunday, Maciej Wozniak became the academic vice-champion of Poland in the 100m medley swimming.
In addition, Jakub Kraska – fourth in the 100m freestyle and seventh in the 100m backstroke and Nestor Zinkovski – fifth in the 200m freestyle competed in the A finals. The following swimmers participated in the B finals – Patryk Pawlaczyk (12th in the 100m backstroke and 13th in the 50m backstroke), Nestor Zinkovski (12th in the 100m freestyle), Maciej Wozniak (13th in the 100m freestyle), Tatiana Dabrowska (13th in the 100m butterfly stroke and 16th in the 50m freestyle), Jakub Szwedzki (14th in the 200m medley swimming), Mateusz Pakuła (15th in the 50m breaststroke) and Franciszek Bliźniewski (17th in the 100m backstroke).
The University of Lodz students won eight medals in the classification of universities – two gold, three silver, three bronze ones. The following athletes stood on the podium:
- Jakub Kraska – gold medal in 100m freestyle
- Nestor Zinkovski, Maciej Woźniak, Patryk Pawlaczyk and Jakub Kraska – gold medal in the 4x50m freestyle relay
- Jakub Kraska – silver medal in 100m backstroke
- Maciej Woźniak – silver medal in 100m medley swimming
- Nestor Zinkovski – silver medal in 200m freestyle
- Patryk Pawlaczyk – bronze medal in 100m backstroke
- Patryk Pawlaczyk – bronze in 50m backstroke
- Franciszek Bliźniewski, Mateusz Pakuła, Krzysztof Fiks, Piotr Fajkowski – bronze medal in the 4x50m freestyle relay
Third place for basketball players and advancement to the final
On 14-16 April, Academic Sports Associations of the University of Lodz was the organiser of the first Polish Academic Championships this year in Lodz – Polish Academic Championships in men's basketball Semi-Final B. The University of Lodz basketball players did very well, taking third place and advancing to the final tournament in Lublin.
These were intense three days focused on basketball. The team coached by Piotr Zych did not disappoint. In the group phase, the University of Lodz team won all three matches – against the University of Life Sciences in Lublin (72:35), the SGH Warsaw School of Economics (84:48) and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (64:50). In the quarter-finals, our basketball team confidently defeated the University of Warsaw 85:62. Thus, the team of the University of Lodz was sure of advancing to the final of the Polish Academic Championships in Lublin.
The only defeat of the UL team was in the semi-final clash, as it later turned out, with the winner of the tournament – the Kozminski University in Warsaw. The university from Warsaw proved superior 84:69. In the match for third place, we had to face local rivals from the Medical University of Lodz. Our team confirmed its dominance in Lodz, winning 64:49.
The University of Lodz team included Patryk Chramiec, Kacper Dominiak, Jarosław Giżyński, Michał Jóźwiak, Damian Kuźniar, Tomasz Kwieciński, David Martinez Franco, Marcel Mirowski, Piotr Pacyna, Szymon Rękoś, Filip Starzyński and Bartosz Wróbel. The team's coach is Piotr Zych.
It should be noted that our team for this tournament included four beneficiaries of the dual career programme "Studies and Sport at the University of Lodz" – Kacper Dominiak, Jarosław Giżyński, Tomasz Kwieciński and Bartosz Wróbel.
Studies and Sport at the University of Lodz – Lodz Will Support the University Programme
Volleyball players on their way to gold
In the Polish Academic Men's Volleyball Championships – Semi-Final B, that took place in Olsztyn from 16 to 19 April, the players from the University of Lodz were unrivalled and, losing only one set in the semi-final competition, advanced from first place to the final tournament.
In the group phase, they played against teams from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and Lazarski University from Warsaw. Both the first and second games ended in victory for our team with a score of 2:0. Thus, the team of the University of Lodz took 1st place in Group C competition. To advance to the final tournament in the quarter-final match, our volleyball players had to face the team from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Their dominance on the volleyball court and winning two sets to 17 and 13 points gave them a secure place in the top four and a game in the final of the Polish Academic Championships in Poznań.
Winning the semi-final match 2:0 against the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw and the final match against the Management Academy of Applied Sciences in Warsaw 2:1 ensured triumph in the entire tournament. Kacper Grzegorzewski received the MVP award for our team's best player.
The team of the University of Lodz included: Filipkowski Jakub, Goździk Eryk, Grzegorzewski Kacper, Jędrasik Kacper, Lesnianskyi Yeyhenii, Łyżwa Piotr, Machnik Dominik, Norek Jakub, Pędzik Wiktor, Sakowski Jakub, Strzelczyk Olgierd, Seweryn Sztekmiller, Szymankiewicz Szymon, Waśkowski Mikołaj. Małgorzata Niemczyk is the coach.
The final tournament of the Polish Academic Volleyball Championships will be held in Poznań on 11-14 May. We would like to offer congratulations to our athletes and coaches and wish them the best of luck in the future competitions.
Tekst: Aleksandra Leszczyńska, AZS Łódź
Photo: Academic Sports Club of the University of Lodz, Piotr Walendziak
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz