Northern Colorado won the first of two home meets this weekend, taking a victory over Colorado Mines. The final score was 164.5-97.5. Valeria Mihhailova made an impressive three event sweep of UNC, winning the 100 yard backstroke (1:00.27), 50 yard freestyle (25.46), and 200 yard backstroke (2:12.20).
Northern Colorado:
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado’s swimming and dive team returned to the Butler-Hancock pool Friday evening taking on in-state foe, Colorado School of Mines. The Bears took the meet 164.5-97.5, with all the points coming from the swimmers as Mines did not have any divers compete.
Overall as a team, UNC finished first in 12 of the 14 events and second in five of the 14.
“I thought the meet went really well, the girls swam well tonight,” head coach Kelly McClanahan. “My goal for the team for this meet was to win every race, and we were on our way to that until the 200 breast.”
Three Northern Colorado swimmers earned victories in multiple events led by Valeria Mihhailova‘s three individual first place finishes and one relay team win as well. Mihhailova took the 100 yard backstroke (1:00.27), 50 yard freestyle (25.46) and 200 yard backstroke (2:12.20). She was also a part of the first place finishing 200 yard medley relay team (1:50.57).
Teammate Sydney Kovar finished first in two of the three events she individual competed in, and second in the third. The two events she won were the 1650 yard freestyle (18:15.82) and 100 freestyle (54.37). She also helped the 800 freestyle relay team clock in at 8:06.29 to take first place.
“Sydney Kovar had a very good mile swim today, it was the first time we had swam it in a meet this year and she put up a very good time,” McClanahan said.
UNC got out to an early lead in meet, winning the first seven events of the night to build its lead and not allow the Orediggers back into it.
Mines took two of the last five events, and just missed out on a third event in the 800 freestyle relay.
“Nate Rothman (Colorado School of Mines head coach) has done an excellent job with his program. His girls were fighters in every race tonight, some of them swimming back-to-back races,” McClanahan said of the Orediggers. “They took us right to the wall on almost every race.”
UNC’s Kovar, Brianna Salanitro, Karlie O’Connell and Sydney Kimura just edged out CSM’s team by under two seconds (8:06.29-8:08.04) in the 800.
“I think this win will help with the girls’ confidence going into tomorrow’s tough match against NAU,” said McClanahan about tomorrow’s meet.
The Bears get right back into the pool tomorrow morning at 11:30 when they host back-to-back WAC champion Northern Arizona.
Colorado Mines:
GREELEY, Colo. – #25 Colorado School of Mines women’s swimming competed at Northern Colorado Friday night, with Katrin Gallup coming away with a pair of event wins.
The Orediggers were competitive in every event against the D-I Bears, and ended strongly with wins in two of the last five events and nearly an 800-free relay victory to end the night. UNC won 164.5-97.5.
Gallup highlighted the meet with a pair of wins. She first captured the 200-breaststroke, touching in 2:30.06, then hit the wall in 2:16.59 to take the 200-IM in a 1-2 with Abigail Wong (2:17.69).
Carrie Kralovec‘s 2:00.66 time was good for second in the 200-yard free as she was out-touched by less than two-tenths, and she later placed second in the 500-free at 5:29.25. Wong was second in the 100-breaststroke at 1:11.87. Jillian Wagner touched in 2:14.60 as the 200-fly runner-up, and Melanie Buckles‘ 1:02.45 was good for second in the 100-fly.
Hana Knaebel was third in the 1,650-free, completing the mile in 19:31.02, andSarah Berude came in third in the 100-back (1:02.28) and 200-back (2:14.54).Brittany Holloway finished in a dead heat for third in the 50-free at 25.81, then was second in the 100-free at 55.66.
The 200-medley relay was second in 1:53.49, as was the 800-free relay in 8:08.04, only two seconds off the pace.
Mines will swim at the three-day Colorado Mesa Invitational starting Nov. 19.
Swimming news courtesy of Northern Colorado and Colorado Mines Swimming & Diving.
Wow, Mines! Great performance out of a division 2 team!