San Diego State took over the lead in team scoring after Day Three of the 2015 Mountain West Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Palo Alto Aquatic Center in San Antonio, Texas with 493 points through 14 events. Boise State dropped into second place, with 446.5 points, followed by Nevada in third with 368 points.
Wyoming sits in fourth place with 268 points and UNLV is fifth with 212.5 points. Air Force is sixth in the standings with 168 points, followed by Colorado State (141), San José State (140), New Mexico (136) and Fresno State (111).
NOTES:
Nevada sophomore Teresa Baerens defended her 200-yard freestyle title on Friday night with a MW overall and championship record time of 1:45.68. The previous overall mark of 1:45.85 was set by former Boise State swimmer Amber Boucher in 2012, while the Championship record was set in 2013 by current Wolf Pack assistant coach Mengjiao Mi. Boise State freshman Emma Chard and Air Force sophomore Genevieve Miller placed second (1:46.40) and third (1:47.81), respectively.
San Diego State captured its third relay of the meet, the 400-yard medley, in a time of 3:35.19, just .06 away from the MW all-time record of 3:35.13 set by the Aztecs last season. Boise State finished second with a time of 3:36.02, while Wyoming took third after touching the wall in 3:37.63.
Nevada junior Yawen Li won the 400-yard individual medley for the second straight year with a time of 4:07.65, an NCAA ‘B’ standard. San Diego State sophomore Frida Berggren finished second in 4:12.34. Air Force senior Kim Davis rounded out the medal stand in third (4:17.42) for the third straight year.
Boise State sophomore Brittany Aoyama took home the crown in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.09 in Friday’s finals, after placing second in 2014. San Diego State freshman Summer Harrison was second at 52.73, followed by Wyoming junior Molly Coonce (54.04) in third for the second consecutive season.
Wyoming freshman Maria Harutjunjan earned her first MW individual crown with a time of 1:00.84 in the 100-yard breaststroke, just missing the championship record by .19. UNLV sophomore Lina Rathsack (1:01.33) and San Diego State senior Emilie Campbell (1:01.85) took second- and third-place, respectively.
San Diego State sophomore Anika Apostalon was a repeat winner in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.38. She set the MW all-time record (51.92) in last year’s meet. Boise State junior Sam Wicks came in second after posting a 52.64, and Nevada freshman Jaeger Turner finished third (53.30).
Saturday marks the final day of competition at the 2015 MW Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships. Day Four events begin with the 200-yard backstroke preliminaries at 11 a.m. CT. Finals competition begins at 6 p.m. CT with the recognition of all MW seniors involved in the meet and the presentation of the 2015 MW Senior Recognition Award.
Air Force
The Air Force women’s swimming team is in sixth place after day three of the 2015 Mountain West swimming and diving championships, Friday, Feb. 20, at the Palo Alto Center in San Antonio, Texas.
San Diego State is in first place with 493 points, followed closely by Boise State with 446.50. Nevada is in third (368), Wyoming is fourth (268) and UNLV is fifth (212.50). Air Force is sixth (168), followed by Colorado State (141), San Jose State (140), New Mexico (136) and Fresno State (111).
Air Force senior Kim Davis finished third in the 400 IM with an NCAA “B” time of 4:17.42. Freshman Maria Schroeder was sixth in the 100 butterfly (54.58), while fellow freshman Elise Hart was 15th in the same event (56.96). Sophomore Genevieve Miller was third in the 200 freestyle with an NCAA “B” cut of 1:47.81. Junior Sara Menke was 13th in the 200 free (1:49.48). Kira Schlosberg was 16th in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.42).
Boise State
Brittany Aoyama captured the 100 fly title while Sam Wicks (100 back) and Emma Chard (200 free) turned in runner-up finishes, but Boise State didn’t get the depth of results it wanted Friday at the Mountain West Swimming & Diving Championships and heads into Saturday’s final day trailing San Diego State by 46.5 points in the team standings.
The final day of action at the Palo Alto College Aquatic Center will begin Saturday with prelims at 11 a.m. CT. Scheduled events for Saturday are the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 1,650 free, platform diving and the 400 free relay.
San Diego State got wins in the 400 medley relay and 100 back to highlight a 223-point performance Friday night, leap-frogging the Broncos atop the team scoreboard. The Aztecs, with 493 points, lead a top five also consisting of Boise State (446.5), Nevada (368), Wyoming (268) and UNLV (212.5).
Aoyama brought home Boise State’s second title of the championships, clocking a 52.09, just four-hundredths of a second off of Amber Boucher’s school record, to capture the 100 fly.
Sam Wicks, despite a runner-up finish by just 0.26 of a second to San Diego State’s Anika Apostalon (52.38) in the 100 back, bettered her previous school record of 52.92 in Friday’s final, shaving 0.28 of a second off that mark and finishing with a time of 52.64.
Freshman Emma Chard used a strong finishing kick to grab second in the 200 free, clocking a 1:46.40 in the event for an NCAA B Standard.
The 400 medley relay of Wicks, Heather Harper, Aoyama and Katelyn Martin also finished second, coming in at 3:36.02, just under a second behind San Diego State.
Nikki Cannon had a strong effort in the 100 back A final, finishing fifth in 54.85. Jessica Bottelberghe (54.84) and Martin (55.00) finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 100 fly to earn All-Mountain West honors, while Felicity Cann (1:48.66) took seventh in the 200 free.
Freshman Amelia Draney clocked a 1:49.43 in the 200 free B Final for a 12th-place overall finish, while senior Megan Myers took 13th in the 400 IM with a time of 4:27.93. In the 100 breast B final, senior Heather Harper (1:02.64) took first for a ninth-place overall finish and Sydney Johansen (1:03.34) finished 13th.
Colorado State
Colorado State remained in seventh place on Friday, Day 3 of the 2015 Mountain West Swimming & Diving Championships. The day saw several lifetime bests, including senior Tess Simpson qualifying for her first career A final.
“Tess had some amazing performances,” Head Coach Christopher Woodard said. “She had lifetime bests in both the fly and breast, and then improved both of those times at night and moved up five places. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
400 Medley Relay: CSU’s relay team – comprised of Jessica Shepard, Jenna Beaury, Megan Lloyd and Katie Kicklighter – earned 22 points toward the team’s score with an eighth-place finish (3:44.90). The time was the Rams’ season best by more than four seconds.
400 IM: Sophomore Alexandra Jacobs had the Rams’ top swim, earning two points with a 15th-place finish at 4:28.90. The time was within a few hundredths of a second of Jacobs’ prelims time (4:28.84), which was a personal best. Freshman Gianna Salanitro (4:37.89; 27th) also had a season best during her preliminary swim.
100 Butterfly: Simpson made a five-place improvement from the prelims to the finals, finishing 11th, with a time of 55.48. Simpson – seeded 16th originally – shaved off 34-hundredths of a second off of her night-swim time, allowing her to score extra points for CSU. The time was a personal best.
Lloyd also competed in the evening swims, touching the wall at 57.79, which ranked 24th. The sophomore was originally seeded 17th with a prelims time of 56.06, a career best.
200 Freestyle: Nine Rams competed in the 200 Freestyle, with sophomore Karin Roh leading the pack with a time of 1:52.62 (31st).
100 Breaststroke: In addition to earning points in the 100 Butterfly, the Rams’ top performance on Friday came during Simpson’s 100 Breaststroke swim. The senior finished sixth (1:02.31) – the same place she was seeded at earlier in the day – and earned 13 points toward the team’s score. Her finals time was six-hundredths of a second better than her prelim time, and was a personal best.
“We’ve always relied on Tess, but to make an A final is such a huge accomplishment for her,” Woodard said. “She’s having a phenomenal meet.”
Junior Cristina Bassani also advanced to Friday’s evening swims, clocking a 1:04.09. The time was 44-hundredths of a second better than her time earlier in the day, and was a personal best.
100 Backstroke: Two Rams scored in the 100 Backstroke, led by Shepard’s 14th-place finish (55.74). The junior narrowly missed the finals, being seeded ninth earlier in the day. In addition to her relay points, Kicklighter placed 16th with a time of 56.24. Shepard (55.40) and Kicklighter’s (55.79) prelim times were season bests.
“Both had solid performances,” Woodard said. “Katie had a lifetime best and got in the finals, and every point that we earn counts. Jess continues to hover around 55, when she knows she’s a 54. I have high hopes for her in the 200 tomorrow.”
The Championships will conclude Saturday with the 1650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, Platform Diving and the 400 Freestyle Relay. Preliminary swims begin 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.
San Diego State leads the Championships with 493 points, followed by Boise State (446.5), Nevada (368), Wyoming (268.5), UNLV (212.5), Air Force (168), CSU (141), San José State (140), New Mexico (136) and Fresno State (111).
“The biggest thing is keeping everyone focused,” Woodard said. “I have no doubt they’ll give their all, it’s just very easy to get distracted by everything going on, the bumps and bruises, and the fatigue. We’ve had too many missed opportunities, and need to focus on the task at hand.”
Fresno State
Another record fell as Fresno State swimming and diving closed a tough third day at the 2015 Mountain West Championships at the Palo Alto College Aquatic Center in San Antonio.
In the first event of the evening, the Bulldogs swam the 400 Medley Relay in a time that would have been six seconds better than the previous school record. However, the ‘Dogs were called for leaving early for the second time in three nights and disqualified.
“It was really hard to recover from that,” Bulldogs head coach Jeanne Fleck said. “We swam okay, but it was just really rough. We just have to bounce back tomorrow.”
Junior Brooke Rodriguez broke the school record in the 100 Breaststroke in the preliminary round and then broke her own school record in the final round on Friday. She swam a 1:02.96 in the morning during preliminaries, then swam a 1:02.65 in the finals to finish 10th. The previous record was set in the 1998-1999 by Holly Gravatt (1:03.12).
“Brooke was just lights out tonight,” Fleck said. “She’s been a great addition for us and it’ll be exciting to see what she does tomorrow.”
In the 400 IM, sophomore Esme Gullick swam a 4:24.76 to finish eighth. Gullick swam identical times in both the prelims and finals. In the same event, junior Kelly Simmons swam a collegiate-best time of 4:29.03 to finish 18th.
Senior Lucy Titchin swam a 1:50.00 in the 200 Freestyle to finish 14th. She is already the school record holder in the event and her time on Friday was just .91 seconds off of her record.
Tarryn Rennie swam a collegiate-best 56.44 in the 100 Butterfly to post the second-best time in school history. She finished 20th overall.
UNLV
The UNLV women's swimming and diving team is in fifth place with one day left after posting three top-eight finishes Friday night at the 2015 Mountain West Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, held at the Palo Alto Aquatic Center. The Rebels currently stand with 212.5 points, behind fourth-place Wyoming (268). San Diego State has taken over the team lead with 493 points, Boise State is second with 446.5 and Nevada, Reno third with 368 points.
The night's first event was the 400 medley relay, and the Rebels placed fifth in the event thanks to the team of Elena Gavrilova, Lina Rathsack, Jessica Wong and Michelle Troup. Their time of 3:40.19 is the third-fastest in team history. Next was the 400 IM, where Kristina Hendrick finished in 14th place with a time of 4:28.50
UNLV would score two in the consolation heat of the 200 free, with Julia Fehervari placing 11th in 1:48.95 and Troup finishing in a tie for 14th with a time of 1:50.00. Fehervari's time ranks her fifth all-time on the Rebel record books. The next event saw the highest finish of the night for UNLV, as Lina Rathsack was the runner-up in the 100 breast, taking second in a NCAA 'B' time of 1:01.33, lowering her own school record by .03. She was just .49 seconds behind event winner Maria Harutjunjan of Wyoming.
The final event saw the Rebels score in both the final and consolation heat. Gavrilova led the way with a seventh-place time of 55.19. She had already earned a 'B' time in the event after leading off the 400 medley relay with a 53.75 on the back leg, and that ranks as the third-best time in UNLV history. Also scoring in the event was Kyndal Phillips, 13th in 55.68.
