Gomez Wins 1-meter as UNM Goes 1-2 in Colorado
USAFA, Colo. — The University of New Mexico got solid marks from Isabella Gomez, who won the 1-meter dive easily with an NCAA Zone qualifying score, and great times form Ellie Broughton, Linda Franco and Sophia Corder as UNM defeated Seattle 184-159 as a part of a quad-meet with Colorado State and Air Force.
UNM lost to Air Force and Colorado State in the quad meet. Overall, Colorado State went 3-0, Air Force 2-1, UNM 1-2 and Seattle 0-3.
Gomez, whose previous best mark on the season was a 265.7 at the Phill Hansel Invitational, went well past that with a 280.40, winning by 26.47 points over JiaQi Deng of Air Force. That mark increased her NCAA Diving Zone qualifying score from November.
Alice English and Arianna Pelligra finished sixth and seventh, with English scoring 245.25 and Pelligra a season-best 238.10.
In the 3-meter, Gomez and English went second and fourth, and Zoe Rinon jumped to seventh with a solid 217.90 score.
Ellie Broughton, who swam in five events, made her season-debut in the 1,000-free, and it was a good one, posting UNM’s third sub-11 in the event this season at 10:57.56, which converts to 10.39.06 altitude adjusted. That adjusted time would be the top time for a Lobo this season. She also made her debut in the 200-free as part of a busy day, and she turned in UNM’s best time of the meet in that event as well (2:01.24 which adjusts to 1:59.64).
Also busy with Linda Franco, who swam in all four relays as well as the 50 and 100-yard free. Franco wasn’t alone in swimming in six events as Jordan Foster, Asiana Lee and Layni Andrle also took part in six events and all four relays.
Sophia Corder swam in just one individual event, the 100-yard fly, but she was a key cog in all four relays helping UNM to key points in those events. UNM also got a nice pick-me-up with the return of Anna Kartushyn, who made her season-debut in the 50-free and then just missed a season-best time in the 100-yard breast with an altitude adjusted time of 1:10.70.
The Lobos will not compete against until Saturday, February 1 when the Lobos travel to Flagstaff to take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at 11 am.
NOTES: The 184 points scored by the Lobos in the two-day meet were the most against a Division I opponent since scoring 194 against New Mexico State on January 25, 2020. It was also UNM’s most points away from Albuquerque since scoring 196 in a 196-98 win over Omaha at USAFA on October 14, 2017.