Colorado State University Athletics
Wednesday, February 19
Minneapolis, Minn. / Freeman Aquatic Center
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Mountain West Championships Day 1
Photo by: Nick Monaghan
Williams Breaks School Record in Taking Second at MW Championships
2/19/2020 8:19:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Junior smashes 1-meter mark on first day of competition
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The deeper into the season the schedule carried her, the better Skylar Williams became on the 1-meter board.
On Wednesday's first day of the Mountain West Championships, the junior diver was not only at her best, but better than any Ram before her in the event as she posted a school-record score of 313.15 in the finals, finishing as the conference runner-up at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
"Ah, it feels so good," Williams said. "I've been wanting to get that, be on the record board since the moment I got here. To finally get there, it's such an accomplishment, and I'm so excited."
Williams began her weekend with a personal-record of 282.10 to qualify fourth for the finals, the fourth consecutive meet she has raised her own standard. Heading into her final dive, she stood in fifth, but nailed down a score of 56.5, which vaulted her into first place momentarily, before Nevada's Isabel Vasquez surpassed her on the final attempt of the competition to finish with a score of 315.35.
Williams scored 112.90 points on her final two dives. She not only beat the CSU record, but blew by the former standard of 304.05, set by Ariana Milone in 2015. CSU has never had a diver win a conference title in program history, but Williams gave it shot.
Her rapid improvement down the stretch has been rewarding, looking back at the work and seeing it pay off. Even in her record performance, she felt there were things she needs to clean up before the next couple of events at the championships, as well as her trip to the NCAA Zone E meet.
She didn't focus on any changes from prelims to finals, just remaining relaxed and let her practice efforts guide the way. When she nailed her final dive, Williams looked up at the board, then to diving coach Chris Bergere, knowing what all she'd accomplished.
"I knew that I had definitely PRd, I knew that I was breaking the school record, so I was really excited," Williams said. "Then looking over at Chris and seeing him excited was really cool."
Bergere, in his first year with the program, isn't taking any credit. He said he's been coaching for more than 30 years, and he said he only needs one hand to add up the females he's had who possess the same natural skills Williams does.
He believes what helps set her apart is her ability to stay within herself when the stakes are highest.
"She's been training really well, but then, when you're under pressure in a meet, things change," he said. "She actually gets a little bit better. I think her focus gets a little bit tighter. She may have a lot of nerves, but she controls them. She's one of those athletes that, even under pressure, she starts diving better."
The finals for three events where held on the opening day, the lone individual event being diving, sandwiched between the finals for the 200-yard medley and 800 freestyle relays.
The 200 medley team of Elsa Litteken, Maddie Ward, Julia Box and Sydnee Whitty came in fifth, dropping 2.23 seconds from its seed time to touch in 1:40.21, and even the B squad (. The Rams 800 free team of Hannah Sykes, Whitty, Sarah Mundy and Kristina Friedrichs placed eighth, dropping 6.76 seconds to finish at 7:23.93.
"We had great swims on our relays; a bit off on a few exchanges, but lots of fight," CSU head coach Christopher Woodard said. "The A medley was solid and great in the middle, and the B relay were studs, and Kristina Friedrichs was in the zone for both. But Skylar was the story of the day."
The meet continues Thursday with preliminaries starting at 10:30 a.m., MT. Finals are again set for 5:30 p.m. Four individual swimming events will be contested, as well as the 400 medley relay and the 3-meter springboard.
- CSURams.com -
On Wednesday's first day of the Mountain West Championships, the junior diver was not only at her best, but better than any Ram before her in the event as she posted a school-record score of 313.15 in the finals, finishing as the conference runner-up at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
"Ah, it feels so good," Williams said. "I've been wanting to get that, be on the record board since the moment I got here. To finally get there, it's such an accomplishment, and I'm so excited."
Williams began her weekend with a personal-record of 282.10 to qualify fourth for the finals, the fourth consecutive meet she has raised her own standard. Heading into her final dive, she stood in fifth, but nailed down a score of 56.5, which vaulted her into first place momentarily, before Nevada's Isabel Vasquez surpassed her on the final attempt of the competition to finish with a score of 315.35.
Williams scored 112.90 points on her final two dives. She not only beat the CSU record, but blew by the former standard of 304.05, set by Ariana Milone in 2015. CSU has never had a diver win a conference title in program history, but Williams gave it shot.
Her rapid improvement down the stretch has been rewarding, looking back at the work and seeing it pay off. Even in her record performance, she felt there were things she needs to clean up before the next couple of events at the championships, as well as her trip to the NCAA Zone E meet.
She didn't focus on any changes from prelims to finals, just remaining relaxed and let her practice efforts guide the way. When she nailed her final dive, Williams looked up at the board, then to diving coach Chris Bergere, knowing what all she'd accomplished.
"I knew that I had definitely PRd, I knew that I was breaking the school record, so I was really excited," Williams said. "Then looking over at Chris and seeing him excited was really cool."
Bergere, in his first year with the program, isn't taking any credit. He said he's been coaching for more than 30 years, and he said he only needs one hand to add up the females he's had who possess the same natural skills Williams does.
He believes what helps set her apart is her ability to stay within herself when the stakes are highest.
"She's been training really well, but then, when you're under pressure in a meet, things change," he said. "She actually gets a little bit better. I think her focus gets a little bit tighter. She may have a lot of nerves, but she controls them. She's one of those athletes that, even under pressure, she starts diving better."
The finals for three events where held on the opening day, the lone individual event being diving, sandwiched between the finals for the 200-yard medley and 800 freestyle relays.
The 200 medley team of Elsa Litteken, Maddie Ward, Julia Box and Sydnee Whitty came in fifth, dropping 2.23 seconds from its seed time to touch in 1:40.21, and even the B squad (. The Rams 800 free team of Hannah Sykes, Whitty, Sarah Mundy and Kristina Friedrichs placed eighth, dropping 6.76 seconds to finish at 7:23.93.
"We had great swims on our relays; a bit off on a few exchanges, but lots of fight," CSU head coach Christopher Woodard said. "The A medley was solid and great in the middle, and the B relay were studs, and Kristina Friedrichs was in the zone for both. But Skylar was the story of the day."
The meet continues Thursday with preliminaries starting at 10:30 a.m., MT. Finals are again set for 5:30 p.m. Four individual swimming events will be contested, as well as the 400 medley relay and the 3-meter springboard.
- CSURams.com -
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