RAMS HEAD TO COLLEGE STATION FOR MW CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Colorado State Rams will head to College Station, Texas, along with the nine other Mountain West women’s swimming & diving squads as they converge this Wednesday through Saturday at the Mountain West Championships.
CSU enters the meet with momentum, winning each of its three dual meets in the 2016 calendar, in the process evening up its record to 3-3 on the season.
“We’re really excited, and the girls are chomping at the bit.” Head Coach Christopher Woodard said. “We’re ready to race and ready to get on the boards. We’re also excited to see what our seniors can do. Obviously it’s a small class but it’s a very talented class. We’ve got some seasoned veterans that have had career years and we’ve had some freshmen who I think are just scratching the surface with their performances this season. This part of the season is the best part of the season; there’s nothing but hope and possibilities.”
The event will take place at the Texas A&M Natatorium, a new venue for the league.
“We’re really, really excited about being at the new venue at Texas A&M,” Woodard said. “I think it’s going to be a great shot in the arm and a great for our conference.”
SCOUTING – MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
Boise State and Nevada wound up tied atop the Mountain West Pre-Championship coaches poll, with each receiving three first-place votes. Also receiving three first-place votes was San Diego State (third in the poll) and one first-place vote went to Wyoming (fourth).
Boise State and San Diego State have alternated winning titles the past four seasons, with the Broncos taking the 2012 and 2014 championships and the Aztecs winning 2013 and 2015. Wyoming has placed third or fourth in each of the past four meets, while Nevada has posted consecutive third-place results each of the last two years.
SCOUTING THE PSYCH SHEET
CSU has numerous athletes ranked in the top-16 in their event for the Mountain West Championships, led by NCAA Zone qualifying scores for senior Ariana Milone (1-meter and 3-meter springboard) and junior Jenna Beaury (200 Breast). Milone sits fourth in the 3-meter (336.75) and Beaury ranks third in the 200 Breast (2:15.16), while Beaury’s time in the 100 Breast (1:02.81) puts her fourth. Fellow junior Allie Jacobs ranks sixth in the 400 IM (4:24.40), while freshman Mackenzie Halligan is ninth in the same event (4:25.85). Another freshman, Tonicia Thomas, is sixth in the 100 Back (55.31) and eighth in the 200 Back (1:59.53).
RAMS HISTORICALLY AT THE MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Colorado State Rams have never won the Mountain West Championship, but has earned runner-up status three times – 2001, 2003 and 2004. CSU’s last individual champion was Tové Törnström in the 200 Fly in 2012. Before that, Breann Fuller dominated the backstroke in the league, winning a total of four titles from 2009-11.
CSU’s last conference championship came as a member of the WAC in 1996, when the Rams edged BYU by 17 points. That year, the Rams tallied six individual wins and three relay wins on their way to the title.
Last season, Ariana Milone (1-meter and 3-meter), Katie Kicklighter (50 Free) and Tess Simpson (100 Breast) earned all-conference recognition.
MILONE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE BOARDS
Senior Ariana Milone has continued to dominate the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events, racking up 12 wins across the two disciplines on the year. Milone posted a season-best score of 336.75 in the 3-meter in the Rams’ win over Air Force on Jan. 30. Milone is a two-time winner of the Mountain West Diver of the Week this season and has won the honor six times in her career, the most in program history. Milone has also qualified for NCAA Diving Zones in both the 1-meter and 3-meter this season, marking her fourth straight appearance at the event.
ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNEES
CSU boasted three all-conference performers last season – Katie Kicklighter (50-yard freestyle), Ariana Milone (1-meter springboard, 3-meter springboard) and Tess Simpson (100-yard backstroke). Both Kickligher and Milone return this season, and will figure to lead the Rams yet again.
Milone’s importance on the boards will be huge all season.
“She’s one of the best in the conference and one of the best in the nation,” Woodard said of Milone. “She will continue to lead and after last year, breaking both school records, she’s coming in on a high note and she is ready to rip for her senior year.”
Kicklighter, just a sophomore this season, will look to secure a lot of points in the pool this season.
“She sets the tone,” Woodard said of Kicklighter. “A lot of other athletes just look to her to lead the way and score some serious points and she rarely disappoints.”
BEAURY RECORDS NCAA B CUT TIME
Junior breaststroker Jenna Beaury set a personal best with a 2:15.16 time in the 200 Breast on the third and final day of the Phil Hansel Invite on Nov. 21, helping push CSU to a fifth place finish at the meet. The feat marks the first NCAA B Cut time in Beaury’s career. Beaury heads into the Mountain West Championships third on the psych sheet in the 200 Breast and fourth in the 100 Breast.
ROWLEY SET TO JOIN CSU SWIM TEAM
The Colorado State swimming and diving team has announced the addition of transfer Haley Rowley to the team. The Colorado native has enrolled in classes and will join the squad starting in the 2016-17 season.
Rowley, a native of Lafayette, Colorado and graduate of Centaurus High School, will bring an immense amount of ability to CSU.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Haley Rowley back to the state of Colorado,” Head Coach Christopher Woodard said. “Haley is an exceptional talent, who developed into a national caliber athlete under the tutelage of Shawn Smith of the Denver Hilltoppers. Haley is able to swim a multitude of events, but we expect she will focus quite a bit on backstroke, IM and distance free and be an immediate factor within the Mountain West and hopefully on the NCAA stage, as well.”
Rowley was an incredibly accomplished swimmer in the Colorado high school ranks, earning 2015 Colorado Swimmer of the Year her senior year. Rowley holds the state record in the 400 IM, and participated in Olympic Trials in 2012 and 2015. Her 2:14.9 time in the 200 backstroke in the 2012 Olympic Trials placed her 26th out of 186 competitors. Rowley was also a Scholastic All-American in high school, and was the 83rd-ranked swimmer in the class of 2015 according to CollegeSwimming.com.
Rowley competed for Purdue in the fall, posting the team’s fifth-best marks in the 1000 free (10:09.27), 200 back (2:01.18) and the fourth-best in the 400 IM (4:26.05).
SEASON GOALS
Although the Rams had a winning dual meet record for the second-consecutive year, the Rams wound up taking 10th at the Mountain West Championship. CSU will aim to not sacrifice any success in the regular season while still climbing the league leaderboard at the end of the season.
“That’s been a real sticking point for us,” Woodard said. “We had some postseason success early when I was here, but then we realized we were sacrificing the entire season to get there. This year, I think the team has a little more depth and a little more toughness, so that we can swim tired and still get some wins. If we do that, we won’t get away too much from our training and focus for the offseason. We just have to have fun and relax and once we get to conference, and if we swim with a little attitude and with a chip on our shoulder and not be so intense.”
Swimming news courtesy of Colorado State Swimming & Diving.