Swimming & Diving Open Season at Home vs. UNT, Western Colorado
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s a new year and a new season for The University of New Mexico Swimming and Diving team, and all you need to do is look at the roster. After finishing last season with about 15 healthy bodies in the pool and diving tank, the Lobos have a roster of 32, including eight divers. Head coach Naya Higashijima and assistants Phoebe Campbell and Logan Andrews might have to pull a Lobo Football and get names taped to swim caps or something.
The new look Lobos break the seal on the 2024-25 season on Saturday when they host North Texas and Western Colorado in a double dual starting at 11 am at Seidler Natatorium inside Johnson Center on UNM’s main campus. Admission is free, but for those that cannot make it, the meet will be livestreamed via UNM Athletics’ YouTube page at golobos.com/watchswimming and golobos.com/watchdiving.
The stream, and the roster, are a couple of very visible signs that this is year two for Higashijima and her staff, who entered last year, pardon the pun, with the nation’s of just keeping their heads above water. Now in year two, the Lobos are ready to move up in the conference championships which are amazingly just four months away.
UNM does have several of the usual suspects back in swimmers Layni Andrle, Jordan Foster, Linda Franco, Paige Lyons, Katy McCarter and Brynn Quintana, giving UNM’s fairly new-look squad a steadying, veteran presence. Foster, who was the top point scorer in the UNLV Invitational last year, is back for her super senior season, giving her back the one season lost to COVID. UNM also returns some of the best returning swimmers from the Land of Enchantment in Sophia Corder, Asiana, Lee, Anna Kurtushyn and Quintana, and the staff added to that with Carlsbad’s Colette Dehnin, Francesca Benavides from Cedar Crest and Albuquerque’s Reed Moyer.
UNM also dipped into the international waters (and yes that’s a second straight bad water pun) to land Ellie Broughton from England, Arianna Stokes from England and Tuana Uyar from Turkey. They join the international contingent returning in Alex McGill (England) and Tahlia Micallef (Australia).
Speaking of international, the Lobos hit the international circuit to fortify a diving squad that wasn’t all that deep in 2023-24 and then suffered through a slate of injuries. Only graduated Kristen Hepfer and rookie Alice English were available all season, and English eventually earned two Mountain West Diver of the Week Awards, a Freshman of the Week award and First Team All-Mountain West in the 3-meter dive. She is joined by returner Zoe Riñon who is fully healthy after last year. Arianna Pelligra of Italy and Isabella Gomez of Colombia are two of six newcomers to the diving squad along with Rithika Colvin (Georgia), Shaelyn Haiman (Texas), Niah Morris (Reno) and Moyer (Albuquerque).
Juniors Maya Clise and Amaya Oliphant add to UNM’s veteran presence in the pool as does sophomore Sohia Corder. Other newcomers include Long Island transfer Summer Wenger, Tuana Ayar of Turkey, Kelley Ryan from Wisconsin, Eryn Quirsfeld from Texas, Daniela Medina from Texas and Emily Ford from Texas.
UNM faced off with North Texas last year, losing 171-122 in Denton. New Mexico last opposed Western Colorado in 2022 on October 21, a 191.5-105.5 victory for the Lobos.
NOTE: The streaming of the home meet is believed to be the first-ever full stream of a Lobo home swim meet. Chase Christiansen and Charley Bickel worked with Higashijima and UNM’s IT services to make sure the wiring and camera placement was sufficient.