LARAMIE, Wyo. (9/19/25) – University of Wyoming swimming and diving head coach Dave Denniston is excited about the high level of experience he has returning for the Cowgirls this year, but he's also eager for this promising freshman class to really get started.
 
"I'm really excited because we have great leadership returning and people who have already done it at a high level, with Tara and Macey being our top performers last year," Denniston said. "But then even coming into this season, there's some great swims that have already happened by our freshmen leading into this from Isabelle Henderson, Ella Lesnever and Raiden Harris who all really had great summers. They have put themselves in positions to be competitive almost immediately as freshmen."
 
The big names that stick out when discussing returners for the Cowgirls are without a doubt junior Tara Joyce and sophomore Macey Hansen.
 
Joyce kicked off her career at Wyoming by winning a Mountain West Championship in the 200-yard freestyle back in 2024 and continued to be a top performer in the Mountain West in the sprint and middle-distance freestyles as a sophomore in 2025. Joyce also owns the school record in the 200-yard freestyle.
 
Hansen had a dream start to her collegiate swimming career in 2025, winning not one but two Mountain West titles in the 500-yard and 1650-yard freestyles, setting multiple school records and booking her ticket to the NCAA swimming and diving championships. Hansen became the first UW swimmer since 2017 to qualify for NCAAs, where she competed in the 500-yard and 1650-yard freestyles.
 
"I think there's also a great opportunity to continue to see our divers shine with Alicia and Natalie both being seniors," Denniston said. "They're going to be able to guide and mentor some of our younger talent on the board. So just overall, great energy by the team, and a lot of optimism and excitement going into it."
 
Alicia Gonzalez and Natalie Six return to lead the Cowgirl divers this season. Gonzalez was named Mountain West diver of the week four times last season, bring her career total of garnering the honor to eight. Gonzalez also took third at the Mountain West Championships on the 1-meter springboard. Six placed eighth at the Mountain West Championships on the 3-meter springboard.
 
Denniston named seniors Ellie Fritscher, Gillette native Berkeley Christensen and Laramie native Natalie Six as team captains just over a month ago. 
 
"They've been phenomenal leaders already," Denniston said. "After a little bit of a coaching change within our staff, we needed some people to step up and make sure our culture stayed in a great place and to their credit, I think they've elevated our culture. Ellie is just a standout, great human being that cares about everyone, as does Berkeley and Natalie. Berkeley is a Wyoming girl through and through, so she gets the big picture of the implications of what our team means to the state. And Natalie being from Laramie, she's just that person that's always building connections. And really this year, [she's been] building a big, strong connection between our divers and our swimmers that's kind of been missing the last couple years."
 
Wyoming swimming and diving opens their season on Friday, Sept. 26 with the Brown and Gold Intrasquad Meet.