Stokes, Gomez Lead Way On Day One of Phill Hansel Invitational

HOUSTON, Texas — Arianna Stokes and Isabella Gomez led UNM on day one of the Phil Hansell Invitational with both qualifying for the top championship heats in the 50-yard freestyle and the 1-meter dive. Overall UNM scored 143 points to sit in seventh after the first day.

Overall, the Lobos had six competitors on the opening day of the invitational, but the highlights were the 50 free and the 1-meter dive.

The 50 free was UNM’s top swimming event, placing one competitor in each of the top three finals. Stokes swam a 22.91 to finish second overall in the preliminaries to finish second to Abby Parks in the event’s first run, qualifying for the A-Final and putting her on the Lobo Top-10 performers list in seventh.

In the A-Final, Stokes finished in sixth place with a time of 23.06.  Katy McCarter was 14^th overall in prelims at 23.54, earning a path to the B-Final and Jordan Foster was 22^nd at 23.71 to get into the C-Final.  McCarter moved up to 12^th overall and fourth in the B-Final with a 23.42 mark, and Foster was eighth in the C-Final at 23.98 overall.

UNM’s other event with three qualifiers was the 1-Meter dive.  Newcomer Isabella Gomez scored a 264.35 to finish fifth in the prelims and earn her way into the 8-person championship final. There she scored a 265.70 to finish sixth in the event. Arianna Pellegra and Rithika Colvin both qualified for the consolation final, Pellegra finishing 14^th with a 234.00 mark and Colvin 16^th with a 225.85 mark.

Both Pellegra and Colvin stayed in their same positions, with Pellegra improving to a 237.50 to finish sixth and Colvin scoring a 190.45 to finish eighth.

In the opening event the 200-yard freestyle relay, UNM finished seventh with the quartet of Stokes, McCarter, Foster and Linda Franco coming in at 133.04.  The final relay was the 400-yard medley relay and UNM was eighth there with McCarter, Emily Ford, Sophia Corder and Stokes finishing at 3:48.01.

The Phill Hansel Invitational continues on Thursday with the 200 Medley Relay, the 100 Butterfly, the 400 IM, the 200 Free, the 100 Breaststroke, the 100 Backstroke, the 800 Free Relay and 3-meter diving.  Lobo fans can watch the meet at golobos.com/watchswimming.

500-yard Freestyle – Prelims
12. Eleanor Broughton           4:56.75            B-Final Qualifier
38. Summer Wenger               5:07.44            E-Final Qualifier
40. Paige Lyons                      5:08.44            E-Final Qualifier
44. Eryn Quirsfeld                  5:13.87
48. Layni Andrle                    5:17.72

200-yard IM
49. Asiana Lee                        2:11.75

50-yard Freestyle – Prelims
2.  Arianna Stokes                  22.91               A-Final Qualifier
14. Katy McCarter                  23.54               B-Final Qualifier
22. Jordan Foster                    23.71               C-Final Qualifier
45. Linda Franco                    24.30
54. Sophia Corder                   24.56
59. Summer Wenger               24.72
64. Kaylah Yazzie                  25.17
67. Colette Dhenin                  25.54
71. Tuana Uyar                       26.21
73. Emily Ford                        29.23

50-yard Freestyle – A-Final
6. Arianna Stokes                   23.06

50-yard Freestyle – B-Final
4. Kate McCarter                    23.42

50-yard Freestyle – C-Final
8. Jordan Foster                      23.98

1-meter Dive – Prelims
5.  Isabella Gomez                  264.35             Championship Final
13. Arianna Pelligra               234.00             Consolation Final
16. Rithika Colvin                  225.85             Consolation Final
18. Alice English                    220.55
21. Zoe Rinon                         206.05
23. Reed Moyer                      193.35
25. Niah Morris                      184.45

Championship Final
6. Isabella Gomez                   265.70

Consolation Final
6. Arianna Pelligra              237.05
8. Rithika Colvin               190.45