Denver took home a victory against Rice during day one of the Dual-A-Palooza.
Denver Press Release
HOUSTON – The University of Denver women’s swimming and diving team kicked off its dual season with a 123.5-97.5 win over Rice on Friday night on day one of two at the Dual-A-Palooza at the Owls’ Competition Pool. Florida International and Tulane also dueled simultaneously at Rice. Denver will take on the other two schools in duals tomorrow.
“We have a strong group of leaders on our team and I was proud of how they got prepared to race today,” associate head coach Alicia Hicken-Franklin said. “It was an all-around team effort with our team winning events but also picking up points with our depth. Rice was a strong competitor all the way through the meet, and we look forward to competing again tomorrow.”
The Pioneers combined for a relay and three individual swimming event wins and a three meter dive victory by freshman Sydney Brookstein (Broomfield, Colo.) on Friday night.
Junior Morgan McCormick (Golden, Colo.) was part of the relay team win and won an individual event, earning an NCAA-B Standard and a pool record with a time of 1:58.11 in the 200 yard backstroke.
Senior Amanda Sanders (Superior, Colo.) won the 200 yard breaststroke in addition to the relay win, earning an NCAA B Standard and pool record with a time of 2:13.94, finishing a little more than four seconds ahead of the next finisher.
Classmate Johanna Roas (Munich, Germany) was also part of the relay win and won the 100 yard freestyle later in the evening, clocking in at 51.21.
DU opened the meet with a win in the women’s 400 yard medley relay. McCormick, Sanders, junior Heidi Bradley (Victoria, B.C.) and Roas combined to touch the wall just under two seconds faster than the hosts with a time of 3:45.42.
In the second event, junior Maddie Myers (Arvada, Colo.) finished second with a time of 10:07.79 in the 1000 yard freestyle, a little more than four seconds behind FIU’s Kyna Pereira. Denver junior Karly Haraden (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) also finished in the top half in the 12-swimmer event, finishing sixth with a time of 10:20.72.
Junior Morgan Wice-Roslin (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led Denver in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 23.97, good for fifth of 15 swimmers on the night.
In the fifth event of the night, Sanders won the 200 yard breast, while sophomore All-American Bailey Andison (Smiths Falls, Ontario) finished third with a time of 2:21.05 and senior Nicole Cassou (Castle Rock, Colo.) rounded out the top-half of the finishers in the event, touching at 2:23.49.
Bradley and freshman Josie Valette (Boudler, Colo.) finished third and fourth, respectively in the 100 yard butterfly, while freshman Kylie Cronin (Marblehead, Mass.) was right behind them in sixth.
McCormick led Denver once again in event eight, the 50 yard backstroke, with a time of 26.16, good for third.
Andison earned a third place finish of her own in the 200 yard IM, swimming the event in 2:05.60 (27.16-32.39-37.42-28.63).
Myers turned in a second place finish in the 500 yard freestyle (4:55.84), while Grace Sommerville touched sixth at 5:01.08.
Friday night’s event capped off with the 100 yard freestyle relay, an event Denver finished third in as Wice-Roslin, Valette, Roas and Bradley combined for a time of 44.24.
