Open Announce

Lobos Pick Up First Two Wins Of Season

by Jacob Trasen

Albuquerque, N.M. – The University of New Mexico swimming and diving team is no longer winless in the 2022-23 season. The Lobos trounced both Colorado State, Pueblo and Western Colorado on Friday evening, beating the ThunderWolves 216-50 and the Mountaineers 191.5-105.5.

The Mountaineers (5-1) also defeated the ThunderWolves 225-53 on Friday in their head-to-head meet.

The Lobos (2-2, 0-1 MW) won 11 events outright on Friday, including several one-two and one-two-three finishes. The evening started off very well for New Mexico, as it came in both first and second place in the first event of the meet, the 200 yard medley relay.

The Lobos also had a two-of-the-top-two finish in the 100-yard freestyle in which junior Jordan Foster (54.52) and junior Ashley Sterchele (55.64) came in first and second place, respectively. The team also recorded first and second place finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke, where freshman Maya Clise (2:24.11) and freshman Amaya Oliphant (2:35.33) did the job for the Lobos, the 500-yard freestyle, courtesy of strong swims from sophomore Brynn Quintana (5:24.90) and sophomore Katy McCarter (5:30.56), and the 100-yard butterfly, thanks to senior Marina Olmstead (58.30) and Foster (58.84).

Not only did New Mexico finish in first and second place in five events, they finished in each of the top four places in the 200-yard individual medley, with freshman Asiana Lee (2:15.53), freshman Eloise Fisher (2:18.04), sophomore Caitlyn Beery (2:18.30), and sophomore Layni Andrle (2:18.78) coming up big for the Lobos.

The Lobos also had a first-three-places finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, as Clise (1:06.85), Fisher (1:08.67), and Oliphant (1:10.27) came in first, second, and third place, respectively.

In addition to all of the multi-Lobo top finishes, the team also had winning swims from McCarter in the 200-yard freestyle (1:57.43), Olmstead in the 50-yard freestyle (24.50), senior Josie Carpenter in the 200-yard backstroke (2:11.38), and the team’s 400-yard freestyle relay (3:42.45). Sophomore Paige Lyons, McCarter, Sterchele, and senior Maddie Deucher each swam legs on the victorious relay.

The Lobos also won both diving boards as well. Stand-out sophomore Alex Robertson won the 3-meter board with ease, with her score being strong enough to qualify her for the NCAA Zone Meet in the event. She also convincingly won the 1-meter board, with yet another NCAA Zone-qualifying score (286.28). She has now finished in first place in each of the first six diving events that New Mexico has competed in this season.

Junior Kristen Hepfer (254.03), senior Vivian Spates (188.85), and freshman Melissa Venzon (187.65) finished in second, third, and fourth place, respectively.

The Lobos will get back to competing against NCAA Division 1 opponents in just under two weeks when they host Northern Arizona on Friday, November 4th. That meet will begin at 10am at the Johnson Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.