LARAMIE, Wyo. (1/7/23) – The University of Wyoming swimming and diving team and Denver have a budding rivalry. And that competitiveness amongst the two was on full display Saturday at Laramie High School.
The Pioneers won both the men's and women's competitions in a meet that came down to the last couple of races. Denver won the men's side, 154-144 and the women's side, 157-143.
"I'm proud of the way our team swam," head coach
Dave Denniston said. "We are starting to suffer a little from sickness-type stuff. Not having three or four of our best swimmers in the water definitely hurts. I'm really proud the way this team fought until the bitter end. The men and women did a great job racing and putting everything they had out in the pool."
While the end result wasn't the desired one, there were still plenty of highlights. Wyoming's women's team took 1-2 in four different events, while the men's team claimed 1-2-3 in one race and the top-two spots in a pair of events.
"I think we looked as sharp or sharper than we did at SMU, at the mid-season meet," Denniston said. "We got a lot of great pieces, and it's fun. It's just waiting for everything to come together."
The Cowgirls took 1-2 in the 1,000-yard freestyle.
Maisyn Klimczak touched first in 10:34.50 and
Sage Morton wasn't far off at 10:39.84.
Morton took first in the 500-yard freestyle, boasting a time of 5:10.55.
Roxanna Ramirez wasn't far behind, placing second with a time of 5:10.83.
Wyoming also claimed the top two spots in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Brynlee Busskohl touched first in a time of 2:17.11, and
Sydney McKenzie placed second in a 2:20.31.
Busskohl and
Carly Palmer topped the field in the 100-yard breaststroke. Busskohl took first with a time of 1:04.24, while Palmer took second with a time of 1:05.15.
The Cowboys went 1-2-3 in the 200-yard freestyle.
Quinn Cynor led the way with a time of 1:40.86, while
Gavin Smith and
Luke Walker placed second and third, respectively, with times of 1:42.31 and 1:43.45.
Collin Davis surprised the 100-yard backstroke field, taking first from Lane 2. He registered a time of 51.23, and
Kody Hollingsworth took runner-up, logging a time of 51.28.
Charlie Clark won the 1,000-yard freestyle, clocking in at 9:45.80. Clark also won the 500-yard freestyle, boasting a time of 4:38.34.
Grant Sloan made some noise in an outside lane, as well. He won the 50-yard freestyle from Lane 2, clocking in at 20.51.
McKenzie added to her noteworthy day with a first in the 200-yard individual medley. She clocked in at 2:07.51.
Kali Franckowiak topped the field in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:54.96.
Cynor added to his impressive day with a win in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at 45.76.
The women's 200-yard medley relay team started the meet in fine form. The collection of
Emily Giles, Palmer, McKenzie and
Mikayla Moore won with a time of 1:44.73.
The men's 200-yard medley relay team also claimed first. The grouping of Cynor,
John Wargin, Smith and Sloan registered a time of 1:30.20.
The men's 400-yard medley relay team capped the meet with an exclamation point. The team of Cynor, Clark, Smith and Sloan won with a time of 3:03.33.
Wyoming is back in action this upcoming week. The divers compete at the UCLA Diving Invite from Dec. 12-14, while the swimmers travel to Air Force for a meet Jan. 13 and 14.
