ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Saturday, November 11 will serve as the opening home meet of the season for the University of New Mexico swimming and diving team. Saturday, the squad will take on New Mexico State at noon at Seidler Natatorium. Additionally, the squad will also welcome the diving team from Western State (CO).
The meet will start at noon at Seidler Natatorium in Johnson Center, and admission is free.
For the Lobos, it will be another chance to continue its improvement under first year Lobo coach Naya Higashijima. The squad went from one event win in a double-dual with Colorado State and Air Force to four event wins against Northern Arizona. While UNM wants a winover New Mexico State to end a three-meet losing streak that started the season after UNM came back from missing the entire 2020-21 season due to COVID.
The Lobos while looking for a win are probably more interested in continuing to improve times. Several Lobos turned in improved times from the season opening double-dual meet with Colorado State and Air Force to the dual meet with Northern Arizona.
Maya Clise shaved off nearly two seconds in her 200-yard breaststroke from 2:27.18 to 2:25.23. Sophia Corder turned in a sub 1-minute timein the 100-yard butterfly and Maddie Deucher lowered her 100-yard backstroke time.
Jordan Foster turned in an event win in the 100-yard butterfly, winning at NAU with a time of 59.35 after finishing at 1:00.93 in the double-dual. She also did better in the 50-yard freestyle, going from 25.42 to 24.65.
Linda Franco improved in two events (the 50 and 100-yard freestyle), Katy McCarter in the 100-yard freestyle and Brynn Quintana in the same event. Amaya Oliphant did it in a pair of 200-yard events, the breaststroke and the individual medley, and Aussie Tahlia Micallef did it in three events. Along with winning the 200-yard individual medley, she also had better times in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke. Kaylah Yazzie also had a three-event improvement, in the 100 and 200-yard backstrokes and the 100-yard butterfly.
Ola Tomaszek shaved off half a second on her 200-yard breaststroke time and Iryna Tsesuil nearly a second on her 100-yard backstroke. It’s that type of continual improvement in the pool that Higashijima and assistant Phoebe Campbell are looking for. On the boards, Alice English has turned in the top two 1-meter dive marks, including an NCAA Zones qualifying 281.8 in the double dual, and a near qualifier in the 3-meter at 274.35. That 274.35 was a 24.05-point jump from the second meet to the first, and Kristen Hepfer did likewise. She has a high-water mark of 253.65 in the 3-meter and showed around a 12-point improvement in each event.