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Photo by Tim March.

Three Lobos Honored at Senior Meet vs NMSU

by Jacob Trasen

Albuquerque, N.M. – The University of New Mexico swimming and diving team lost to their bitter rival New Mexico State on Saturday by a score of 171-124. This was New Mexico’s 2022-23 season senior meet, in which three Lobos were honored.

Maddie Deucher, a backstroker from El Paso, Tex., was one of three Lobo seniors honored before the first swimming event on Saturday. Deucher, who swam at Kentucky before joining the New Mexico program, swam in four events in her penultimate meet donning the cherry and silver. She swam in both the 400-yard medley relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay in addition to the 100-yard backstroke (1:04.04) and the 200-yard backstroke (2:19.51).

Josie Carpenter, the other Lobos’ swimmer honored at the senior-meet festivities, also competed in four events in her final dual meet before representing New Mexico one final time at the Mountain West Conference Championship Meet next month. Carpenter, a Greely, Colo., native, also competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay on Saturday, as well as the 1000-yard freestyle (11:17.59), the 100-yard backstroke (1:03.34), and the 500-yard freestyle (5:28.89). She swam as a Lobo for her whole collegiate career.

The Lobos’ lone diver to be honored before Saturday’s meet was senior Vivian Spates, an Albuquerque, N.M., native, who also competed for the Lobos for her entire collegiate career. She dove in both diving events in the meet, scoring 180.60 off the 1-meter board and 187.50 off the 3-meter board.

New Mexico (2-7, 0-4 MW) won four events during the meet, with their first victory coming in the fifth event of the day. Freshman Maya Clise won the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.41) with senior Ola Tomaszek finishing just behind her in second place (1:07.14).

The Lobos’ next event win came in another one-two finish, this time courtesy of strong swims in the 50-yard freestyle by junior Marina Olmstead (24.58) and junior Jordan Foster (24.72). The first four finishers in the event were separated by just under four-tenths of a second.

Olmstead and Foster finished in first and second places, yet again, in the 100-yard butterfly. Olmstead won the event (58.99) with Foster closely in tow (59.39).

New Mexico’s final event win came in the final event of the meet, the 200-yard freestyle relay. The winning relay consisted of sophomore Katy McCarter, Olmstead, sophomore Brynn Quintana, and Foster.

Junior Kristen Hepfer was the Lobos’ top finisher in each of the two diving events on Saturday, placing second in both. She scored 237.98 off the 1-meter board and 250.95 off the 3-meter board. This is the second consecutive dual meet in which Hepfer has led all Lobos in scoring in both diving events.

New Mexico’s divers will be back in action from Feb. 2-5, competing at the Northern Arizona Diving Invitational. This will be their final tuneup before joining the Lobos’ swimmers at the Mountain West Conference Championship Meet from Feb. 15-18, in Houston, Tex..