The Washington State women's swimming team defeated San Jose State 161-98 Friday night at Gibb Pool. The dual meet marked the 2004-05 season opener for the Cougars.

WSU was led by Erin McCleave, Bryn Mooney and Kayli Changstrom, with each capturing two events. The Cougars won 12 of the 14 events in the meet.

The highlight of the night was the Cougar 800 freestyle relay. The team of McCleave, Laurie Gregg, Jane Copland and Maegan Wood established a Gibb Pool record of 7:42.86.

McCleave, a sophomore from Rutherglen, Australia, led WSU to the win by capturing victories in the 200 (1:53.86) and 100 freestyle (52.78). She also swam anchor on the winning 400 medley relay team.

Freshman Bryn Mooney from Caldwell, Idaho, captured wins in the 200 backstroke (2:08.89) and 200 butterfly (2:06.11).

Sophomore Kayli Changstrom seized victories in back-to-back events. After swimming a time of 59.34 in the 100 butterfly, she won the 200 IM with a time of 2:10.22.

Other event winners included sophomores Monika Povilonyte (Klaipeda, Lithuania) in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.41), Gregg (Los Altos, Calif.) in the 500 freestyle (5:07.89), junior Copland (Wellington, New Zealand) in the 200 breaststroke (2:20.30) and freshman McKenzie Reiter (Billings, Mont) in the 1000 freestyle (10:34.25).

It was really important, said WSU Head Coach Erica Quam. We built up so much momentum last season, but it was a learning process. So it was important that we took that momentum and continue to move in the right direction.

The Cougars travel to the Pacific Invitational October 29 (noon) and 30 (10 a.m.) in Stockton Calif. Results found at www.wsucougars.com

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Moscow, ID--With a bustling crowd cheering in the Swim Center’s viewing gallery, and with a 16-swimmer Vandal team cheering loudly from the west end of the pool, collegiate swimming returned to the University of Idaho Saturday afternoon (Oct. 23).

At 12:08 p.m. the historic 2004-05 season began with a 400-yard medley relay – the first event of 11 in a meet that pitted the Vandals against a deep, talented San Jose State squad. The Vandals lost, yet competed admirably, to the Spartans 112-93.

It was Idaho’s first varsity swimming event since 1985.

“It was great. We were really excited,” head coach Tom Jager said. “The girls fought through every race. I think it goes to show that we’re taking this serious.”

“I thought we responded really well,” sophomore team captain Adriana Quirke said. “I know a lot of girls came in really nervous. They stepped up for us.”

Quirke, the only Vandal with D-I experience, became the first Vandal to win a race when she completed the 200-yard freestyle in 1:55.33. It was the third event of the meet.

Quirke also won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:13.11 and was part of the team that won the 400-yard freestyle relay – the final event of the meet – in 4:36.66.

“We brought Adriana in as a leader and she was every bit of that,” Jager said.

Freshman Paige Lee won the 200-yard butterfly in 2:10.35.

In one of the more dramatic moments of the afternoon, Lee moved from third place to second place in the final leg of the 1000-yard freestyle. She finished the event in 10:50.56 – less than half a second before SJSU’s Mandy Carr.

Freshman JoJo White won the 400-yard individual medley in 4:46.56.

“I thought we did pretty well,” White said. “We held our own. We were all so nervous.”

SJSU’s China Cho won both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle.

Results found at: http://www.uiathletics.com/pages/sport.asp?Action=DrawBoxscore&SportID=&NewsID=2430&PageID=25