Courtesy: NM State Sports
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Nothing like a little friendly competition to get the season underway. On Wednesday afternoon, the Aggie swim and dive squad split into two teams to battle against each other with half representing Team Crimson and the other half representing Team White.
In the end, Team Crimson won 55-49, led by strong performances from senior Lindsay Puhalski, Katie Rink, Riley Crespo and Taylor Craft.
“Today was a lot of fun, and for it being very early, we had some exceptional swims,” noted Head Coach Rick Pratt. “The goal was to have fun and really focus on our energy and spirit, and on that we were awesome. The meet only last 45 minutes and for many they were pretty fried by the third event, but that is part of the process and will improve now that we’re upping our training levels. I am really excited about this group and how much energy, focus and fun they’re bringing to the deck each day.”
The 12-event intrasquad meet began with the 1-meter dive where fifth-year senior Italia Aranzabal took the top spot. The 200 yard medley relay followed the first diving event and was won by Team White’s quartet of Emily Dobbins, Foteini Charitou, Faye McDonagh and Kira Brownell.
Naomi Slee also tallied the first individual win of the swim events as she secured five points for Team White by taking first place in the 500 freestyle, an event she claimed First Team All-WAC honors in last season.
Freshman Emily Dobbins showed her skill in the 100 freestyle, taking the top spot while handing Team White its fourth straight win to start the meet.
The Crimson Team would secure its first win in the fifth event of the day as Riley Crespo swam to a first-place finish in the 200 yard individual medley. Senior leader Lindsay Puhalski splashed in the 100 butterfly as she paced her fellow teammates to secure another win for the Crimson side. Following Puhalski’s win, the Aggie divers returned to the boards where freshman Mira Tinani claimed the top score from the 3-meter board.
With just one point separating the two teams after seven events, Katie Rink helped the Crimson Team take its first lead of the meet as she raced to a first-place finish in the 50 freestyle. The White team then answered back as Emily Dobbins clinched her second win of the day – finishing ahead of the pack in the 100 backstroke. As Dobbins did, Naomi Slee tallied her second win during the preseason meet as she reached the wall first in the 200 freestyle.
Taylor Craft then managed a first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke to set up for a 200 free relay event that would determine the winning side. Crimson entered the final event trailing by just one point, however, the team of Katie Rink, Dreamer Kowatch, Callie Ceshker and Elizabeth Cervantes-Vanderlugt erased the one-point deficit after securing the victory in the relay.
𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒐𝒏 & 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆🤠#AggieUp pic.twitter.com/BnCfZj9oYU
— NM State Swim & Dive (@NMStateSwimDive) September 27, 2023