MOUNTAIN WEST PREVIEW
MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE/LINKS
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The hard-charging University of New Mexico women’s swimming and diving team will find out where it stands in the conference as the Lobos participate in the Mountain West Championships starting Wednesday at the Texas A&M Natatorium.
It will be the final time the Lobos compete this season and first-year UNM coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker knows one thing she’ll see when Wednesday comes around – an all-out effort from her team.
“The staple of this group is when they race, they race hard,” Tierney-Walker said. “They leave it all out there. We’ve seen that in every meet this year. It’s engrained in them. It’s quite fun to watch.”
Leading by example has been a core group of seniors in Lindsey Englestead, Anna Lengyel, Emily McGill, Kaela McKee and Abigail Wheeler – a group Tierney-Walker said she doesn’t take for granted.
“We are so fortunate to have the senior class we have,” Tierney-Walker said. “They work hard, they do it the right way, they are tremendous athletes and teammates and you’ll probably see they are the first ones on the deck every day. They have certainly set the standard.”
The Lobos are led into the MW Championships by sophomore Adriana Palomino as she has set four school records this season – the 200 (1:47.63), 500 (4:46.74), 1000 (9:54.31) and 1650 freestyle (16:22.46). She’s also in the top five in the Mountain West in each of those events, including in second in the 1000 and 1650.
“We’ve challenged Adrianna on a daily basis in the practice setting that I’d put up with anyone in the country and she has risen to the challenge,” Tierney-Walker said. “She’s embraced it and is seeing improvements from her work ethic.”
Wheeler also finds herself in the top 10 of three events – the 100 and 200 butterfly and the 200 individual medley – while sophomore Konoha Shinada (50 free and 100 fly) and McGill (200 and 400 IM) are in the top 10 in two races.
The Mountain West Championships can be watched online through the Mountain West Network.
Lobos in the Mountain West Top 10
50 free – 9. Konoha Shinada (23.21)
200 free – 4. Adriana Palomino (1:47.63)
500 free – 5. Adriana Palomino (4:46.74)
1000 free – 2. Adriana Palomino (9:54.31)
1650 free – 2. Adriana Palomino (16:22.46)
200 breaststroke – 6. Lindsey Englestead (2:16.62)
100 butterfly – 7. Konoha Shinada (54.75)
100 butterfly – 8. Abigail Wheeler (54.96)
200 butterfly – 3. Abigail Wheeler (2:01.81)
200 butterfly – 5. Emily Huffer (2:02.23)
200 butterfly – 9. Anna Lengyel (2:02.69)
200 IM – 7. Emily McGill (2:03.38)
200 IM – 9. Abigail Wheeler (2:03.72)
400 IM – 10. Emily McGill (4:23.64)