Liberty, based in Virginia, strolled into Colorado and took home the Intermountain Shootout against region-based foes that included Utah and BYU.
Liberty Press Release
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Liberty swimming & diving team defeated all four opponents at this weekend’s Intermountain Shootout, with day two wrapping up on Saturday at Colorado Mesa’s El Pomar Natatorium.
The Lady Flames defeated Utah (273-99), BYU (219-173), Air Force (250-142) and the host Colorado Mesa Mavericks. Liberty (5-0) has now beaten two Pac-12 opponents all-time, also downing Oregon State on Oct. 10, 2014. BYU went 3-1 this weekend, while Air Force posted a 2-2 record, Utah went 1-3 and Colorado Mesa dropped all four dual-meet decisions.
On Saturday, Liberty won six out of 10 swimming events, including four individual events and both relays. For the meet as a whole, the Lady Flames captured first place in nine individual events and won all three relays that were contested.
Prudence Rooker won both the 50 breaststroke and 200 IM on Saturday, giving her four event crowns at the Intermountain Shootout. Morgan Noonan claimed the 200 breaststroke, while Alicia Finnigan took first in the 200 fly. Noonan earned two event victories during the two-day meet, as did Brittany Weiss.
For the second day in a row, Liberty opened with a relay victory, as Rachel Hoeve, Chelsea Pond, Rooker and Hannah Baker won the 200 free relay in 1:34.31. That time, which won by more than two seconds, puts the quartet in sixth place on Liberty’s all-time top performers list.
Finnigan outpaced the field to win the 200 fly in 2:06.47, followed in second by teammate Ashley Mauzy’s collegiate-best 2:09.38.
Rooker then touched first in the 50 breaststroke, clocking 29.97. Hannah Baker came in fifth with a 31.11 performance.
Rooker later won the 200 IM in 2:07.31, beating BYU’s Riley Merrill, who swam 2:07.88.
Noonan led a 1-2 showing in the 200 breaststroke with a winning time of 2:22.85. Rooker went 2:23.53 to earn second place.
BYU’s Tiare Coker swam 51.96 for the 100 free victory. Liberty claimed the next four places, with Hoeve taking second in 52.62. Baker (52.82), Pond (52.88) and Colleen Donlin (53.10) finished third through fifth, in that order.
Coker later won the 100 fly in 56.56. Weiss clocked 57.84 for second, with Mauzy (57.99) and Finnigan (58.10) coming in third and fourth, respectively.
Tschoke was Liberty’s highest finisher in the 200 back, finishing third overall in 2:04.89.
Delia Weber earned fifth place with a 5:09.55 in the 500 free, while Ashlee Sall placed eighth at 5:13.89.
Jenna Joyal pocketed a 14th-place finish in three-meter diving. Joyal scored 143.25 points at the three-meter discipline.
Hoeve, Pond, Baker and Weiss closed out the meet with a victory in the 400 free relay in 3:28.65. Their time was 3.53 seconds faster than second-place Air Force.
The Lady Flames return to the Commonwealth of Virginia, where they will compete at 2016 CAA runner-up James Madison, next Saturday at 11 a.m. at Savage Natatorium.
Utah Press Release
The Utes finished the final day with two top finishes by Matteo Sogne and Chris Taber. Sogne took first in the 500 free touching in at 4:33.81 while Taber was first in the 200 fly (1:50.49).
Other second-place finishes were turned in by McKenna Gassaway (50 breast, 30.00), Keanu Interone (50 breast, 26.85), Kat Wickham (5:07.00) and Nolan Rogers (200 IM, 1:53.46).
Claire Jackson was seventh in the 100 free (52.34) as well as Fernando Cervantes (46.36) for the men.
In the 200 back, Mallori Allen took fourth with a time of 2:05.20 and for the men, Brandon Shreeve was third (1:54.21).
In relay action, the team of Kenzie Ford, Jenna Marsh, Claire and McKenna King took fourth in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:38.31 while the men’s team of Adam Shelton, Nicholas Lafleur, Jeremy Young and Cervantes were third (1:25.29).
In the 400 free relay, Jackson, King, Wickham and Allen finished seventh with a time of 3:37.40. On the men’s side Shelton, Cervantes, Peter Kotson and Young took third (3:06.45).
BYU Press Release
GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado– Tiare Coker and Preston Jenkins led the BYU swim and dive team winning five of the six events the en route to dual victories over Utah, Colorado Mesa and Air Force on Saturday at the Intermountain Shootout.
"The meet went really well for the second day," said BYU coach John Brooks. "Tiare Coker, Lauren Taylor, and Preston Jenkins definitely highlighted the meet with their performances. We had a very good showing from our team, top to bottom with lots of improvements from day one to day two."
Dual victories were registered by BYU’s men’s team over the University of Utah (197-180) and Colorado Mesa (264-126), but U.S. Air Force bested the Cougars, 241-149. Three victories were claimed by the BYU women’s team, beating U. S. Air Force (208.50-184.50), University of Utah ( 270-115) and Colorado Mesa (286-107), but fell to Liberty University (273-99).
Coker, a freshman from La Crescenta, California, had a successful meet, winning the women’s 100-yard freestyle with a time of 51.96. Just four events later, she won the 100-yard butterfly in 56.56.
Jenkins contributed to the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay win, swimming a lead of 21.13. Teammates Roger Woods, Kent Fellows, and Payton Sorenson helped achieve the 1:22.17 final time. Jenkins followed with an additional victory in the men’s 200-yard individual medley with a 1:53.09 time. He finished the day with his third win in the men’s 200-yard backstroke, clocking a time of 1:50.75. He was followed about three seconds later by teammate Ethan Kramer, a freshman from Flower Mound, Texas. Kramer finished second with a time of 1:53.43
Several second-place individual events were achieved by various members of the team. Lauren Shaw Taylor, MPSF/Turbo Athlete of the Week, took second in the women’s 200-yard backstroke, clocking a time of 2:04.22. Sorenson competed in the men’s 100-yard freestyle event, finishing in 45.51. Just shy of the win for the women’s 200-yard individual medley, Riley Merrill had a time of 2:07.88.
The men’s diving team swept the 1-meter diving event, claiming the top four scores. Matt Denkers won the event with a score of 283.95. Following in chronological order were teammates Eric Muir (274.20), Trayton Speth (267.10) and Kevin Dreesen (266.75).
Competing in the women’s 3-meter diving event, Erica Lienhard and Kaitlyn Abernathy took seventh and eighth over-all, with scores of 199.40 and 197.30.
"I am very happy with the divers and how they settled into the second day of competition," BYU diving coach Tyce Rouston said. "They focused more on our game plan for the beginning of our season and they performed assertively. The men swept one through four, with Matt Denkers winning both boards and freshman Eric Muir securing second. The women's event all around was a much stronger field and the BYU women were very consistent. 'Keyka' Lienhard was our top performer and is getting stronger this early compared to last season. I am excited to see their progress and I see potential for our next meet."
After a successful competition, the Cougars return home and prepare to take on Arizona State on Saturday, October 22, starting at 11 a.m., MDT. For more information, please visit the BYU swim and dive schedule page.
Air Force Press Release
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams opened the 2016-17 season at the annual Colorado Intermountain Shootout, hosted by Colorado Mesa University, in Grand Junction, Colo. The men’s team posted a 3-0 record with wins over Utah (257.00-120.00), Brigham Young (241.00-149.00) and Colorado Mesa (301.00-92.00). The women’s team posted a 2-2 record on the day with wins over Utah (237.00-142.00) and Colorado Mesa (275.00-118.00) and losses to Brigham Young (208.50-184.50) and Liberty University (277.00-115.00).
The men’s team opened the meet by taking the top three spots in the 200 medley relay as the team of Joey Gebhart, Zach Knoche, Steffen Mount and Jordan Dahle posted a time of 1:30.16. In the 200 free, Dahle was third with a time of 1:40.43. Andrew Faciszewski was second in 400 IM (4:06.19) while Garrett Glaudini was third (4:07.630). In the 100 breast stroke, Zach Knoche won with a time of 56.00 while Kevin Fanter was second (56.62). Kristopher Tillery was second in the 100 back (50.98). Faciszewski was third in the 1650 free (16:05.31). In the 100 IM, Fanter won the event and set a pool record with a time of 51.17 while Jordan Dahle was second at 52.38. In the 50 fly, Steffen Mount won (22.26) and Dahle was third (23.23). Mount was second in the 50 free with a time of 20.60. Faciszewski was second in the 500 free 4:35.05. Mount won both the 100 fly (50.80) and the 100 free (45.32). Kevin Pollard was second in the 100 fly (51.12) while Michael Hannigan was third in the 100 free (45.54). In the 200 IM, Fanter was third with a time of 1:53.67. Freshman Zach Nelson won his first collegiate event in the 200 breast stroke (2:05.72) while Fanter was second (2:05.92). Fanter also won the 50 breast stroke (26.10) and Andrew Weiss was third (27.38). In the 200 free relay, the team of Joey Gebhart, Michael Hannigan, Lars Knutson and Steffen Mount was second with 1:22.26.In the 400 free relay, Blake Lawrie, Michael Hannigan, Lars Knutson and Steffen Mount won with time of 2:59.80.
On the women’s side, senior team captain Genevieve Miller won the 1650 free (17:03.67), the 500 free (4:59.70) and the 200 free (1:52.22). The 200 medley relay team of Autumn Wolfgramm, Shayle Finnesand, Brianna Mount and Lydia Knutson placed second with a time of 1:46.59. The 400 free relay team of Genevieve Miller , Lydia Knutson, Tianna Jorgenson and Jinan Andrews was second with a time of 3:32.17. Knutson was second in the 50 free (23.76). The 200 free relay team of Tianna Jorgenson, Brianna Mount, Jinan Andrews, Lydia Knutson was second (1:36.56).
In women’s diving, freshman Kayla Wofford won the three-meter with 229.80 points. In one meter, Isabella Farrell was second 225.40 while freshman Rebecca Hetrick was third 213.55.
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are both off until the weekend of Oct. 21-22 when the teams will split with some swimmers going to the Pacific Invitational in Stockton, Calif, and some staying home for dual meet with Colorado Mines.
