LARAMIE, Wyo. (1/9/25) – The University of Wyoming swimming and diving teams are set to host Denver for Senior Day this Saturday at Laramie High School. Diving is slated to start at 10:30 a.m. with swim action beginning at 12 p.m.
 
With this being the final home meet of the season, Wyoming will be honoring twelve Cowgirl and six Cowboy seniors at 11:50 a.m. right before swimming begins at noon. Madelynn Appelhans, Heidi Billings, Emily Burchett, Brynlee Busskohl, Kayla Cunningham, Kali Franckowiak, Hannah Giles, Gabriella Haigler, Rachael Horne, Maisyn Klimczak, Sydney Metzler and Lauren Swartz will be recognized for the Cowgirls. On the Cowboys side, Jakob Borrman, Kellen Chadderdon, Matt Lang, Jack O'Neil, Gavin Smith and Quinn Teller will also be recognized.
 
When asked what this senior class has meant to this program, you can tell just how special they are by how thoughtfully head coach Dave Denniston reflects on their time at Wyoming.
 
"Every single one of them has brought so much to this team, culture and our daily lives for the last four or five years," Denniston said. "That's a big part that's going to be really hard to replace. Each year is very different, from one team to the next. But even when my wife, Jen, recognizes 'this is a really special team, Dave,' she's one hundred percent right and it's because of all these seniors." 
 
This senior class has been very successful during their time at Wyoming, while also overcoming substantial adversity and leading their program through it.
 
Denniston said, "They carried all of us through the tragedy of last year, but also in their own way they made everyday fun. It's a really cool thing in that they can balance both between going through struggles, going through challenges, working really hard but also smiling, laughing, dancing along the way and making the coaches and other people smile, laugh and dance at the same time. That's what has made them unique as a team and a program. You look at what they've accomplished, it's very significant. But who they are as people is what really stands out for me. There's a lot of heart on this team, including our fifth years that stuck around. This is a really unique, special team, and I can't highlight everybody in one soundbite, but they've all done something significant to make our team and program better and special."
 
The dual meet against Denver will be the first contest of the 2025 year for the Pokes, who last competed in the UNLV Invite back in mid-December. The Cowgirls took third with 639 points and the Cowboys took sixth with 409 points.
 
Wyoming last faced Denver in a Tri-meet last January which also featured BYU. The Cowgirls beat BYU but ultimately came up short against the Pioneers 149.5-184.5. The Cowboys lost to both BYU and Denver, with the latter score being 118-216. 
 
Not only with it being Senior Day, but there is no doubt that the Pokes will be eager to turn the tides against Denver this time around. The Cowgirls are currently 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Mountain West and will have big expectations to continue their strong form with a win against Denver. The Cowboys are 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the WAC. A win against the Pioneers would surely boost their confidence and momentum with WAC Championships just around the corner.
 
"I think our women this year are in a position to do very well and to beat Denver. Our men's team is surprising me every time we race, so I'm not going to put anything past them," Denniston said. "I know we're going to race tough; we're going to put everything we have into the pool. I know they have more depth than us, especially when you look at diving and some of the distance events but at the same time, we're going to give it everything we have, and our men are going to make it a close meet."
 
Following this weekend, the Pokes are back in action next Saturday, January 18, against Colorado School of Mines in Golden at 1 p.m.