Lobos Drop Two Close Duals in San Diego
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Lobos, swimming without a couple of usual top scorers due to the holiday break, fell in a pair of close dual matches in San Diego, losing 165-126 to three-time defending Mountain West champion San Diego State, and losing 155-144 to Pepperdine.
The loss to Pepperdine was the closest UNM has gotten to a win in a regulation 16-event dual match against a Division I since beating New Mexico State 194-106 on January 25, 2020, prior to the 2020-21 season which was lost to COVID. The 144 points were also the most against a Division I school since the NMSU meet in 2020.
The Lobos were able to get event wins in the 100-yard butterfly as Sophia Corder took first place with a time of 57.65, her second-best time of the season. Layni Andrle was third in that same event with 59.70 on the clock.
Additionally, the relay team of Jordan Foster, Katy McCarter, Andrle and Corder took first in the 400-yard freestyle relay at 3:36.18. Corder was in that event for Arianna Stokes, one of several Lobos that missed the event as they head back to Albuquerque from overseas for the holiday break.
Paige Lyons and Eryn Quirsfeld nearly turned in season-bests in the 1,000, with Lyons coming in at 11:06.28, about five seconds off her best, and Quirsfeld at 11:17.06, just 0.05 from her top time.
McCarter was a close second in the 100-yard back at 57.74, and Linda Franco finished fourth in the 50-yard free but turned in a season-best time of 24.19. Foster’s 2:27.79 was good for third in the 200-yard breast and just a half-second off her best mark of the year.
UNM’s best swimming event might have been the 500-free as UNM took second, third, fifth and sixth. Brynn Quintana was second at 5:17.20 in her first time swimming the event this season, and Francesca Benavidez was third at 5:19.01, lopping off over five seconds from her previous season-best.
In diving, Isabella Gomez and Alice English once again went 1-2 for UNM, with Gomez finishing second in the 3-meter at 276.05 and third in the 1-meter at 249.80. English was fifth in the 1-meter at 231.35 and sixth in the 3-meter at 245.60.
New Mexico is now off until a two-day double dual meet on Friday and Saturday, January 17 and 18 as UNM heads to USAFA, Colorado to face Air Force and Colorado State.