LARAMIE, Wyo. (January 20, 2021) –The men's and women's swimming and diving programs will continue the season on the road this week. The Cowboys and Cowgirls will take on the Denver Pioneers on Friday afternoon. It's scheduled to start at 3 p.m. MT at the El Pomar Natatorium in Denver, Colo.
 
"Both the men and women are looking forward to racing again. We learned a lot at Air Force last week," head coach Dave Denniston said. "The swimmers are grateful for the opportunity to race at Denver and plan to see improvements in their races. This will be a tune-up meet for UNLV and Hawaii next week, which will be our last dual meet of the season. Covid has taken its toll on DU this year, but we should still have some great racing."

The Cowgirls enter this week's contest with a 5-1 dual record. Last time out, they defeated the Air Force Falcons twice by scores of 145-79 and 150-93, but dropped a tough one to BYU, 146-96. Senior Katelyn Blattner paced the way with two first place finishes in the 200 freestyle plus finished in the top spot in the 500 free. She was the lead le in the 400 medley and 400 free relays that set season-best times in those events. On the boards, sophomore Melissa Mirafuentes scored nine points for the Cowgirls with a first place finish in the platform and third in the 1 and 3-meter boards.

For the men, they will be seeking their first dual wins of the season. This past weekend, the Cowboys are coming off a couple of losses against Air Force and BYU. Junior Ryan Netzel had a solid showing with a season-best time of 16:25.35 in the 1650 freestyle along with a second place finish in the 500 freestyle with a time of 1:42.54. He was also the third leg in the 400 free relay that went a season-best 3:07.01.  

On the men's side, Denver comes in to this week's competition with a 0-1 overall record. Last time out, they dropped a 196-39 contest against the BYU Cougars. The Pioneers went 6-3 in dual action a year ago and won the Summit League Championship. The last time the two teams met was Jan. 10, 2020 with the Cowboys coming out on top 165-135.
 
For the women, they enter the meet with a 0-2 record. They dropped a 158-142 contest against Colorado State and a 172-71 defeat at the hands of the BYU Cougars. The Pioneers went 7-4 in dual meets a season ago and took the Summit League title home. The last time the two teams met was Jan. 10, 2020 with the Cowgirls earning a 156-144 win.
 
Following this week's meet, both teams will close out the dual season against Hawaii and UNLV beginning on Thursday, Jan. 28.