Lobos Look for an Encore in Reno
RENO, Nev. – The University of New Mexico’s swimming and diving team, to at least use a water-based term, boat-raced the New Mexico State Aggies 194-106 in its last outing. Much like a diver faces, the degree of difficulty in the next challenge is ramped up quite a bit as UNM heads to Reno, Nevada for a dual meet with the 5-2 Wolf Pack, UNM’s final dual full dual meet before the conference championships. The meet will start at 5 p.m. Pacific and be carried on the Mountain West Network.
While the odds are long that UNM will win 14 of 16 events such as they did last Saturday, UNM stacks up well with the Wolf Pack. Based on top times in the Mountain West for 2019-20, while Nevada has a better time in 10 of the 15 main events, UNM is right there in nearly every discipline.
The Lobos are coming off a big meet in which Nicholle Toh became the first Lobo freshman to earn Mountain West Swimmer of the Week honors in 17 years. Toh was a part of four wins and scored 40 points. She actually tied her teammate Hedda Øritsland for points in the meet, as Øritsland won two individual races and two relays as well.
Toh swept the butterfly, and that might be what’s needed again to pull out a win, which would be UNM’s first against the Wolf Pack since the 2012-13 season. The two schools have faced off in a dual three times previously. UNM won the first meeting 160.5-139.5 on November 10, 2012 in the only meeting in Reno.
Nevada has won the last two, narrowly edging the Lobos 167-166 at Seidler Natatorium on November 23, 2013 and then winning last year 156-144 in a close match.
A big key will be on the divers to stop Nevada’s stronghold. Of the last 15 conference tournament wins in the three disciplines of 1-meter, 3-meter and platform, 14 have been won by Nevada dating back to 2015. Natasha Dark had a pair of wins last week and she could break through with a win against a talented Nevada squad. The real key will be can UNM’s other four divers of Hannah Tiendas, Jocelyn Gallais, Sara Rogers and Daphne Scheck steal away some key points. All have the ability to win an event as well, as their top scores all would suggest, and Gallais nearly stole the 1-meter out from Dark last week.
In the pool, after a couple of senior day wins from Talai Passarelli and Breanna Wiercinski, head coach Keegan Ingelido will be looking for them to come through with a key win or two. Passarelli won the 100-yard breaststroke and Wiercinski won the 100-yard backstroke against NMSU. Other winners were Mari Aoki, Josie Carpenter, Bryndis Bolladottir and Andrea Mariscal, and each could help UNM’s cause with another win.
UNM will also need key contributions further down the lineup. Asami Terada last week didn’t win a race but scored seven points, Olivia Bishop had six and Camila Batista had five. In a match where every point might very well matter, the differences between a second and a third-place finish could be a factor.
NOTES: Tiendas, Rogers and Scheck all turned in their best 1-meter performances of the year in last week’s win over New Mexico State … Toh still has the league’s best 200-yard butterfly time, and Øritsland has the league’s best 100-yard freestyle time.