Boise State maintained its lead in team scoring during Day Two of the 2015 Mountain West Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Palo Alto Aquatic Center in San Antonio, Texas with 275 points through eight events. San Diego State is just seven points behind the Broncos in second place with 268 points.
Nevada remains in third place with 216 points, while UNLV is in fourth place with 140, followed by Wyoming in fifth with 122.5. Air Force is sixth in the standings with 116 points, followed by Colorado State (94), Fresno State (90.5), San José State (83) and New Mexico (68).
NOTES:
Air Force sophomore Genevieve Miller established a Mountain West overall and championship record in the 500-yard freestyle during Thursday’s finals round, touching the wall in 4:42.47. Miller passed the previous championship mark of 4:42.99 that she timed in today’s prelims. That previous mark was set at the 2013 MW Championships by current Nevada assistant coach Mengjiao Mi (4:43.10). Teammate Sara Menke placed second with an NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 4:46.54 and Nevada rookie Henny Ericksen finished third with a 4:47.55, also a B-cut.
Nevada junior Yawen Li won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:57.59, after placing third in last year’s championship race. Boise State junior Sam Wicks finished second at 1:58.06, followed by Nevada sophomore Teresa Baerens in third with a time of 1:59.16.
San Diego State’s Anika Apostalon won the 50-yard freestyle with an NCAA ‘A’-cut time of 21.82. San Diego State senior Chelsea Bailey finished second with an NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 22.47, followed by UNLV junior Julia Fehervari in 22.68.
Nevada junior Krysta Palmer won the 3-meter springboard with a mark of 359.40, just .10 shy of tying the MW Championship record. Colorado State’s Ariana Milone earned her second medal of the meet with a runner-up score of 338.10, followed by Boise State senior Erin Kohlbeck in third at 337.40.
San Diego State won its first event of the evening by posting an NCAA qualifying standard of 1:28.72 in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Boise State took second with a time of 1:30.32, while UNLV finished third at 1:30.46.
Day Three events begin with the 400-yard individual medley preliminaries at 11 a.m. CT. Finals start at 6:30 p.m. CT with the 400-yard medley relay. The 2015 MW Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships conclude Saturday, February 21.
Boise State
Boise State got a runner-up finish from Sam Wicks in the 200 IM and a third-place effort from diver Erin Kohlbeck to highlight Thursday night’s action at the Mountain West Swimming & Diving Championships. Their performances helped the Broncos hold on to its slim edge on the team scoreboard, as Boise State’s total of 275 remained seven points ahead of second-place San Diego State (268).
Action will continue Friday at Palo Alto College Aquatic Center in San Antonio, with prelims beginning at 11 a.m. Friday’s event card features the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, with finals for those events as well as the 400 medley relay taking place in the night session at 6:30 p.m.
“I think we had a great night, a lot of highlights. We had some swimmers who weren’t able to go as fast in the morning but they did the rights things to get into their finals,” said Boise State head coach Kristin Hill.
Wicks, who entered the weekend as owner of Boise State’s 200 IM record (1:58.83), twice broke that mark Thursday night. The Anchorage, Alaska native swam a 1:58.44 to top the qualifying field in the afternoon then dropped the record to 1:58.06 in the A final. Despite the record swim, however, Wicks was clipped by Nevada’s Yawen Li (1:57.59) just past the halfway point of the final and had to settle for second place.
“If you’d have told me that it would’ve taken a one-fifty-seven-five to win this year I wouldn’t have believed you, so it was great to see [Wicks and Li] feed off of each other and race well,” Hill said about the 200 IM final. “Sam beat her entry times by eight-tenths by the end of the night, which was phenomenal, and her time should be good enough to get her invited to the NCAAs as an individual. It would’ve been great for her to win but when someone beats you going that fast there’s not a lot you can do.”
Senior Sydney Johansen clocked a 2:01.11 in the final, which along with her 2:00.92 in the prelims stood as NCAA B Standards. Jessica Bottelberghe would also score in the event with an 11th-place finish.
Another record was set Thursday as Kohlbeck’s 3-meter springboard score of 337.40 eclipsed Ciera Cortney’s championship-record total of 321.25 set on Dec. 7, 2013. Kohlbeck ended up third in the event, missing out on second place by just seven-tenths of a point behind Colorado State’s Ariana Milone (338.10). Nevada’s Krysta Palmer captured the title with a core of 359.40.
The Broncos earned eight points from the 3-meter springboard consolation final as sophomores Karli Kriewall and Jordan Marthens finished 11th and 15th overall, respectively. Kriewall scored 271.75 in the six-round consolation while Marthens posted a 217.45.
Freshman Kiley Carlson was 19th in the prelims with a score of 228.30.
“It was another good day for the divers. We struggled a bit but still managed to bring three back [to the finals],” said Boise State diving coach John Lynch. “I’m really proud of Erin for stepping up tonight in the final, taking third and setting a new school record.”
The Broncos made a move on the team scoreboard in the 500 free, qualifying three swimmers (Felicity Cann, Amelia Draney, Emri Moore) into the 500 free A final with two more in the B final (Emma Chard, Blake Balogh). Draney (4:50.39), Moore (4:52.38) and Cann (4:53.98) would finish sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, while Chard would top the B final in 4:47.40 with Blake Balogh (4:52.72) finishing fourth for an overall 12th-place finish.
Although the Broncos got strong efforts in the finals of the 50 free, San Diego State was able to make up its lost ground and get back to seven points behind with three of the top four finishes. Katelyn Martin (22.88) and Brittany Aoyama (23.09) took fifth and seventh, respectively, but the Aztecs finished 1-2 with Anika Apostalon (21.82) and Chelsea Bailey (22.47) with Taylor Johnson (22.81) getting fourth.
Martin’s 50-free time of 22.88 gave her an NCAA B Standard in the event for the first time this season.
Also hurting the Broncos in the 50 free was no representation in the B final, while San Diego State finished 11th and 15th overall to pick up eight more points.
While the Broncos, with 275 points, and the Aztecs, with 268, are almost neck-and-neck atop the scoreboard, Nevada is third with 216 points, UNLV (140) is fourth and Wyoming rounds out the top five with 122.5 points.
Air Force
The Air Force women’s swimming team is in sixth place after day two of the 2015 Mountain West swimming and diving championships at the Palo Alto Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Boise State leads the team scoring with 275 points through eight events. San Diego State is in second with 268 points, followed by Nevada with 216 points. UNLV is currently fourth (140), followed by Wyoming (122.50), Air Force (116), Colorado State (94), Fresno State (90.50), San Jose State (83) and New Mexico (68).
Air Force sophomore Genevieve Miller set a new MW Championship record in the 500 free as she won with a time of 4:42.47. Air Force finished 1-2 in the 500 free as junior Sara Menke was second with a time of 4:46.54. Both times were NCAA “B” cuts. Miller broke her own school record in the 500 free while Menke’s time is the second fastest in school history.
Senior Kim Davis finished eighth in the 200 IM with a time of 2:01.90.
Colorado State
Another school record was broken and a student-athlete earned an NCAA Championships qualifying time during Day 2 of the 2015 Mountain West Swimming & Diving Championships. Through two days of action, CSU sits in seventh place, with 94 points.
“There were definitely some highlights, but overall, it was not our best day,” Head Coach Christopher Woodard said. “All along, it’s about resiliency. The teams that bounce back in days 3 and 4 are the ones that earn points on the scoreboard, and the ones that get tired are the ones that fade. We’re going to find out how tough our team is.”
500 Freestyle: Sophomore Gabby Morley held CSU’s top prelim time in the 500 Freestyle, finishing at 4:59.02, nearly a full 10 seconds better than her previous season best. She was seeded 22nd, before earning a 24th-place finish in the night swims (5:05.38). Following Morley in the preliminary round was Hailey Spratte (5:04.97) and Madison Evans (5:05.14), who also recorded career-best times.
200 IM: Junior Jessica Shepard advanced to the 200 IM consolation finals after clocking a 2:05.13 in the preliminary round, a season best. She finished with a similar time in the night swims (2:05.18), earning a 22nd-place finish. Six other Rams competed in the event, with several recording season bests.
50 Freestyle: After being within 12-hundredths of a second away from qualifying for the NCAA Championships earlier this season, freshman Katie Kicklighter met the B-cut requirement on Thursday, touching the wall at 22.95. The time was good enough for a fourth-place seed entering the finals, and makes her the fifth-best performer in school history.
“Katie getting under 23 seconds was huge,” Woodard said. “She’s been close, so we were all very excited for her.”
Kicklighter earned 11 points toward the team’s total by placing eighth in the finals, with a time of 23:34. Sophomore Karin Roh narrowly missed the night swims, and was listed as an alternate after swimming a 23.73 in the prelims, a career best and three-hundredths of a second away from a top-24 ranking. Five others recorded season or career-best times in the preliminary round.
200 Freestyle Relay: Made up of Kicklighter, Tess Simpson, Colleen Olson and Roh, CSU’s 200 Freestyle Relay team took eighth place and earned 22 points with a time of 1:33.51. The time was the sixth-best in school history and a season best.
3-Meter Diving: One day after setting the school record on the 1-Meter springboard, Milone once again dominated the 3-Meter event, crushing her own school record by nearly 27 points. Her preliminary score of 356.00 earned her the top spot entering Thursday’s finals round, and was the fifth-best score in conference history.
“Ari continues to be a stud,” Woodard said. “Smashing her own school record and earning a second-place finish just show the type of competitor she is.”
Lori Vigil (324.16) had held CSU’s 3-Meter mark for 13 years until Jan. 28, 2015, when Milone scored a 329.03. She now owns the top three all-time scores on the 3-Meter, and two of the top three on 1-Meter.
Milone scored a 338.10 in the finals – which ranks second in CSU’s record book – and placed second, the Rams’ highest finish since 2013. Milone was edged by Nevada’s Krysta Palmer in the finals. Also competing for CSU was Mary Kate Hardy (226.45; 20th) and Emily Williams (205.00; 24th).
200 Medley Relay (Wednesday): After setting a school record in the 200 Medley Relay on Wednesday evening, on Thursday the conference disqualified the Rams for leaving the starting block one-hundredths of a second early, eliminating 24 points from the team’s score.
Day 3 of the Championships continues Friday with the 400 IM, 100 Butterfly, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke and 400 Medley Relay. Preliminary action begins at 10 a.m. MT, with the finals taking place at 5:25 p.m. All events can be streamed for free through the Mountain West Network.
“We have to bounce back and get points wherever we can get them,” Woodard said. “Several kids still haven’t even swam yet. I expect to have a lot of good performances ahead for us.”
Fresno State
Fresno State swimming and diving had one of their best days overall in the three years of competing in the Mountain West Championships on Thursday evening at Palo Alto College Aquatic Center in San Antonio.
The Bulldogs scored 52.5 points on Thursday, the most they have ever scored on a Thursday during the three years in the Mountain West.
“We swam really, really well,” Fresno State head coach Jeanne Fleck said. “It was a solid night and we will hopefully just keep getting better from here on out.”
The swimming portion of the night started out with a bang for the Bulldogs.
In the 200 Freestyle Relay, the team of Leah Hatayama, Hannah Jarvis, Brooke Rodriguez and Dana Jones swam a 1:32.53 to finish fifth. Fresno State had come into the event seeded ninth in the conference, but swam their best times in the event and helped the Bulldogs score 28 points.
“Leah leading off going lifetime best, everyone just got better and better seeing that,” Fleck said. “The girls got lots of confidence from that. It was huge for us and gave us lots of momentum and it got us all thinking ‘okay, we can swim fast tonight’ and it was just great to see.”
Hatayama also finished ninth in the 50 Freestyle. She swam the race in 23.07 seconds, a collegiate-best time for the junior.
Sophomore Esme Gullick swam a 2:02.85 in the 200 IM to set a new collegiate-best time in the event. She finished 13th and her time was just .20 seconds off the school record.
On the 3-meter springboard, sophomore Shelbie Holden scored a 278.70 to finish 10th. Junior Lacie Ruth finished with a 202.45 to finish 16th. The duo of Fresno State divers will get Friday off before the Platform competition on Saturday.
UNLV
UNLV turned in third place finishes on Thursday night's first and final event, helping the Rebels move up one spot in the team standings to fourth at the 2015 Mountain West Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, held at the Palo Alto Aquatic Center. The Rebels currently have 140 points, trailing overall leader Boise State (272), second place San Diego State (268) and third place Nevada, Reno (216).
The night began with the day's only relay, the 200 free relay. The squad of Julia Fehervari, Michelle Tourp, Elena Gavrilova and Lina Rathsack would place third in a new school record time of 1:30.46, just .14 seconds behind second place Boise State.
Junior diver Michele Serra was the next scorer for the Rebels, as recorded the first top-eight finish of her career, placing eighth on the 3-meter event with a score of 249.80. Serra reached the final round after posting a score of 262.40 to place seventh in the morning preliminaries.
The next event was the 500 free, where sophomore Josefine Hippi was the top scorer for UNLV, recording a time of 4:52.54 to place 11th overall. That ranks as the fifth-fastest time in program history. Two Rebels would score in the 200 IM, with Gözde Tekin placing 15th (2:03.73) and Rathsack 16th (2:04.92).
In the night's final event, UNLV would score a total of three in the 50 free, led by Fehervari's third place time of 22.68. That was the Rebels' first NCAA 'B' provisional time of the meet, and the second-fastest time in school history. Troup finished in 10th in 23.09 while Gavrilova was 12th in 23.27.
Wyoming
The University of Wyoming Cowgirl swimming and diving team wrapped up the second day of action at the Mountain West Championship Thursday in the Palo Alto College Aquatic Center in San Antonio, Texas. The Cowgirls have a two-day total of 122.50 points to sit in fifth place. Defending Champion Boise State leads the pack at 275 points. San Diego State is second with 268 points followed by Nevada at 216 points and UNLV with 140 points.
“It was a pretty tough day, but our performance tonight was much better,” UW head coach Tom Johnson said. “Hopefully we can rally tomorrow and be better.”
The Cowgirls opened the day with a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay recording 30 team points. The team of junior Emily Ridout, sophomore Danielle Badger, sophomore Abby Sullivan and redshirt junior Emily Stucky clocked in with a season-best time of 1:32.03.
Senior Claudia Carlson finished 10th in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:00.94. Her mark was an NCAA “B” cut time and the second fastest mark in the event in her career. She added seven team points to the Cowgirls’ total.
Junior Lauren McClure added two team points for the Cowgirls finishing 15th in the 500 freestyle with a career-best time of 4:57.71. Ridout finished 13th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.35. She added 3.5 team points in the event for UW.
Junior diver Kari Campbell recovered from a rough preliminaries to finish ninth on the 3-meter springboard with a mark of 284.40. She tallied nine team points for Wyoming, as her mark was the second-best by a Cowgirl this season.
“Kari did a great job recovering from a rough afternoon and it was encouraging to see her rebound and comeback from that and she has a great list for the platfrom and we should see some more success from her on Saturday,” UW diving coach Chelsea Popplewell said.
