Live Stream | Live Results | Notes
LARAMIE, Wyo. – Cowgirl swimming and diving heads to College
Station, Texas, for the 2017 Mountain West Championships at the Texas A&M
Natatorium. The meet begins on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 11:30 a.m. MT with diving
preliminaries and runs through Saturday, concluding with the final session
slated to begin at 5 p.m. MT.
The Cowgirls have
three individuals and four relay teams with times ranked in the top five in the
Mountain West this season. Sophomore Isobel Ryan logged the fifth-fastest time
in the 50 freestyle (23.03) and the third-fastest in the 100 freestyle (50.08).
Ryan also holds the best time in the MW this season in the 100 backstroke
(53.82), which will have the strongest field of any event, including nine
swimmers with NCAA ‘B’ cut times. Junior Maria Harutjunjan will look to defend
her title in the 100 breaststroke after claiming victory the last two seasons.
She currently holds the top time of the year (1:01.96), and is one of five MW
swimmers with an NCAA ‘B’ cut time. Harutjunjan also notched the top time this
season in the 200 breaststroke (2:11.85), nearly three seconds faster than the
competition, and the fifth-best time in the 200 individual medley (2:02.78).
On the boards, freshman
Karla Contreras leads the Cowgirls with the second-best scoring averages in the
1-meter (293.56) and 3-meter (311.05) events, and the best mark on platform.
Her season-best platform score of 281.50 was the best in Wyoming history and
the fifth-highest score ever in the MW. Senior Keely Bishop ranks just behind
Contreras on platform this season with an average score of 223.13. She also ranks
10th in the 1-meter (259.35) and the 3-meter (269.15).
Wyoming also has the
capability to pick up points in the relay events. The Cowgirls logged the
fourth-fastest times in the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay, and
the third-fastest times in the 200 and 400 medley relays. The 200 freestyle
relay team, consisting of Ryan, senior Danielle Badger, junior Rachel McKivigan
and sophomore Samantha Burke, clocked a 1:33.12. The same group logged a
3:23.21 in the 400 freestyle relay. Senior Abby Sullivan, along with
Harutjunjan, Ryan and Burke, posted a 1:41.25 in the 200 medley relay. The 400
medley relay team of Ryan, Harutjunjan, Burke and Badger recorded a season-best
3:42.64.
“We’re getting a good
feeling in the water the past couple weeks, and it has become more fun as
everyone is getting excited for the championship,” Harutjunjan said. “We’re
feeling confident and we want to win the title. I’ve finished second in the 200
breaststroke the past two years so I really want to win that one. I’m always
positive and I always want to finish first. It’s so much fun to spend this week
with the girls, cheer each other on and feel the power of our team. That’s what
motivates me.”
The Nevada Wolfpack
will try to defend their MW championship after narrowly defeating Boise State
last season. Air Force’s Genevieve Miller will look to become the first MW
swimmer to win multiple events in each of her four years at the MW
championships. Nevada’s Sharae Zheng is the diver to beat this year after
winning NCAA titles in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events in 2016. Zheng is
the only MW diver with a higher average score on both boards than Contreras
this season.
“Right now the team
is getting ready by resting more than actual training,” UW assistant coach Dave
Denniston said. “They’re taking care of their academics and there’s a lot of
energy on deck. The team is having a lot of fun, they tend to get a bit goofy
this time of year and I think they’re ready to get down to College Station. Our
girls look really strong in just about every event and we’ll be fighting for
the top spot.”
Fans can follow the action live with
streams and results of every events at the links above. Event highlights will
also be posted each night on the results page. Follow @Wyo_swimdive on twitter
for updates and explore the #MWSD17 hashtag for even more championship content.
