Jan. 26, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico swimming and diving team is prepping for tough competition this weekend as it travels to Fort Worth, Texas to face the Horned Frogs of TCU and the BYU Cougars.
BYU is currently second in the Mountain West Conference standings with an overall record of 6-1, 4-1 in conference, and is receiving votes in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Poll.
Host TCU is seventh in MWC standings, with an overall record of 3-3, 3-3 in conference, and is currently one spot ahead of the Lobos who are in eighth place.
Both teams will pose a challenge for the Lobos, but Head Coach Tracy Ljone is ready to compete.
“It will be a tough meet,” said Ljone. “BYU is second in conference and TCU has some fast newcomers, but we will step up and race them both. The ladies are looking great and ready to race.”
New Mexico goes to Fort Worth having come off of multiple victories after traveling to Grand Junction, Colo., for the Maverick meet Jan. 15. While there they defeated meet host Mesa State, Northern Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, and the CU-Boulder Club Team.
Freshman Monica Dudley continued what has been a great freshman campaign and had two first- place finishes in the 500- and 1000-yard free. Teammates Lindsey Morris and Nanette Wittenberg also had good showings at the meet.
The meet this weekend will be the first action Diving Coach Abel Sanchez and his squad have seen in over two months. Sanchez and his team have not competed since the conclusion of the Arizona Diving Invitational on Nov. 21, 2010.
During the Arizona Invitational Junior Aubrey Bush finished first with a final score of 313.05 on the 3-meter springboard to beat out 61 other divers from various schools across the southwest.
The UNM Diving team which consists of a pair of juniors in Bush and Ashlee Erickson, and a pair of freshmen in Megan Harper and Melissa Bollig, have seen their fair share of success as well this season.
All four divers have finished first at least once on both the 1- and 3-meter boards this season.
The Lobos have one more dual meet against in-state rival New Mexico State on Feb. 5 at noon.
The final competition for UNM will be the MWC Championships which will be held on the campus of the Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, Ok., Feb. 23-26.
Look to Golobos.com for full results and a recap following the conclusion of the meet.