COLUMBIA, Mo. (11/17/21) – Day 1 of the Missouri Invitational came to a close Wednesday night at the Mizzou Aquatic Center. The University of Wyoming swimming & diving team logged numerous notable performances, as every student-athlete that competed in an A final boasted a season-best time.

"We had a really nice first day with several swimmers going lifetime-best times," head coach Dave Denniston said. "We are looking forward to getting some rest and swimming fast tomorrow."

Wyoming is third on both the men's and women's side of things. The Cowboys have racked up 142.5, while the Cowgirls have compiled 203.50 points. 

Senior Ryan Netzel spearheaded the night for UW. He finished fourth in the 500-yard freestyle, recording a time of 4:25.47.

Very similar to men's side, fifth-year senior Katelyn Blattner highlighted the Cowgirls' night in a distance race, as well. Competing in a 500-yard A final that included Missouri and Nebraska student-athletes, Blattner touched fifth with a time of 4:49.46.

Sophomore Carly Palmer and freshman Kayla Cunningham also competed in an A final on Wednesday. Palmer took sixth in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:04.78, while Cunningham was right behind her in seventh, clocking in at 2:06.45.

Senior Kira Crane also registered a sixth-place finish. She swam a 23.07 in the 50-yard freestyle, and fellow senior Grant Sloan took eighth on the men's side, logging a time of 20.27.

Crane also anchored the 200-yard freestyle relay that represented UW's best relay finish of the day. The team of sophomore Kali Franckowiak, freshman Lauren Swartz, freshman Rachel Horne and Crane clocked in at 1:33.41, placing them fourth.

"Kira Crane and Kali Franckowiak's swims in the 50 were lights out," Denniston said. "Carly Palmer went a personal-best in the 200 IM and seems to get better every time she swims it. We had some guys swim great 500 freestyles with Ryan and Danny racing really well. I'm excited to see how well our freshmen are doing."

On the diving side, junior Melissa Mirafuentes paced the squad. She took runner-up in the 3-meter competition, accumulating 329.80 points, while senior McKenna Houlihan placed eighth with 260.80 points. Sophomore Juan Gonzalez finished fourth in the 1-meter event after scoring 311.90.

"Juan and Mely were a bit off in prelims but bounced back and did great in finals," Denniston said. "McKenna Houlihan took care of business in prelims and got eighth. Our divers continue to impress."

Competition continues Thursday morning with preliminary races followed by finals in the evening.