Lobos Finish Fifth at SMU Invitational
DALLAS, TEXAS — The University of New Mexico women’s swimming and diving team wrapped up its three-day competition at the SMU Invitational in Dallas, Texas on Saturday. The squad had many strong performances through the weekend, finishing fifth with 492.5 points.
FINAL RESULTS
DAY 2 RESULTS | DAY 2 RECAP
DAY 1 RESULTS | DAY 1 RECAP
Day three was highlighted by standout sophomore Hedda Øritsland, who had another impressive showing for the Lobos. Øritsland clinched the second-place spot in the 100-yard free with a time of 49.49, just 0.02 seconds behind the first-place contestant. The sophomore also contributed to a fifth-place finish as a member of the 400-yard free relay squad, along with seniors Talia Passarelli and Breanna Wiercinski, as well as freshman Olivia Bishop (3:23.80). Øritsland, Passarelli, Wiercinski and Bishop were also able to notch a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard free relay with a time of 1:34.35.
UNM had solid showings in the platform diving event with senior Natasha Dark notching a second-place finish with a score of 210.20. In the same event, junior Hannah Tiendas was able to grab the fourth-place spot with a score of 191.80.
In the 1650-yard free, freshman Josie Carpenter had yet another solid performance for the Lobos, clinching the fourth-place spot with a time of 16:44.78.
Freshman Olivia Bishop continued her success in the 100-yard free, touching the wall at 50.81, good for eighth. Bishop’s performance marked a new season-best, improving on her previous time of 52.35, which she swam at Northern Arizona.
Sophomore Raine Gavino bested SMU’s Olivia Hernandez in a swim-off for the 200-yard breast, touching the wall at 2:20.67. Gavino’s time marked a new career-best, crushing her previous time of 2:25.90 that she captured at the Pacific Invitational in 2018.
The Lobos finished just 23 points behind fourth-place finisher Fresno State, while LSU took the title with 976.5 points.
The Lobos are off until spring when they take on Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. on Jan. 8, 2020.