Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, January 6
Flagstaff, AZ
3:00 PM
Colorado State
150
at
150
Northern Arizona
Rams Remain Unbeaten with Tie at NAU
1/6/2023 9:48:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
CSU picks up dual victory over North Texas on Friday
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.  – The Rams are still unbeaten.
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However, Colorado State's run of 20 consecutive dual victories added another notch, but not a second as it tied host Northern Arizona at the Wall Aquatic Center on Friday afternoon, 150-all. The Rams had no issue with North Texas with a 228-72 victory.
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The team actually left the facility believing it had lost to the hosts by two points. With the actual results, the Rams are 7-0-1 on the season.
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To forge the tie, Colorado State needed a strong effort in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, taking first and third to even the dual and remain unblemished. Factor in the facility had technology issues and head coach Christopher Woodard was trying to do math on the fly, he considered making changes to the final two foursomes.
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"I would normally say it's weird to have a tie, but in this case, it was such a see-saw battle back and forth and so evenly matched it almost seems – sad to say, because I'd rather us come out on top – but it almost seem apropos and kind of justified," Woodard said. "The hard part was I was slowing up the meet so I could score it, and I was hand scoring it. I was the pain. I was going back and forth with changes, and finally I got to the point where they couldn't get two of the last two events scored, so I we just stuck with what we had."
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The results building into the final race were just as impressive.
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Erin Dawson and Lexie Trietley were both double winners on the day. Dawson led a 1-2 finish with Anika Johnson in the 200 free in one of the closest races of the day, Dawson touching in 1:54.52, Johnson just .04 behind her. Dawson would come back to win the final individual race of the day, the 200 individual medley in 2:07.63.
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The freshman Trietley continued her strong sprint results, leading 1-2 finishes with Megan Hager in both the 50 and 100 freestyles, posting times of 23.15 and 51.28, respectively; Hager touched in 23.77 and 52.08. The Rams would win nine of the 16 events in the meet, with Maya White (1,000 free), Katie McClelland (100 breast), Amanda Hoffman (200 fly) and Lucy Matheson (200 back) all posting victories.
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While Dawson's 200 victory was impressive to Woodard, the result which really stood out to him was White in the 1,000 free at nearly 2,500 more feet of elevation than the team trains in at home.
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"The biggest surprise to me was Maya being able to swim that time at 7,000 feet," Woodard said. "I think altitude-adjusted, that comes down to a 10:15. That's one of the best, 1,000s she's ever swam."
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Matheson had a pair of runner-up finishes, in both the 100 back and 100 fly, the 100 backstroke the closest margin of the day as she was touched up by .02. McClelland was second in the 200 breast, and the 200 medley team opened with a second-place showing. NAU, the nine-time defending WAC champions, won the other seven events.
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CSU piled up depth points along the way, with Claire Wright, Kendra Preski, Liza Lunina, Emily Chorpening, Olivia LeBlanc, Sarah Mundy, Hannah Sykes, Johnson, White and Dawson all adding top-five finishes. Jessica Albanna paced the Rams on the boards with a pair of placings, her best being third on the 1-meter board with a personal-best score of 276.05.
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It was an emotional day, and by the time Woodard had guided his van to the exit for the hotel, the news came the final score was actually a tie, leading the team into a loud celebration. That rush of emotion, and the way they performed, reiterated to Woodard his team has built one of the most valuable characteristics – toughness.
Â
"When we reached the end, we thought we'd lost by two points, and I could see the genuine hurt and a disappointment in their eyes," he said. "It's a hard thing to see, but it's necessary for growth. It shows where our culture is at. They just continue to battle. I couldn't be prouder."
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The Rams will remain in Phoenix through Wednesday to train before returning back to Fort Collins. They will return to competition Jan. 20-21 at the Air Force Academy, with duals against the Falcons, Seattle, Colorado Mesa and BYU.
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However, Colorado State's run of 20 consecutive dual victories added another notch, but not a second as it tied host Northern Arizona at the Wall Aquatic Center on Friday afternoon, 150-all. The Rams had no issue with North Texas with a 228-72 victory.
Â
The team actually left the facility believing it had lost to the hosts by two points. With the actual results, the Rams are 7-0-1 on the season.
Â
To forge the tie, Colorado State needed a strong effort in the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, taking first and third to even the dual and remain unblemished. Factor in the facility had technology issues and head coach Christopher Woodard was trying to do math on the fly, he considered making changes to the final two foursomes.
Â
"I would normally say it's weird to have a tie, but in this case, it was such a see-saw battle back and forth and so evenly matched it almost seems – sad to say, because I'd rather us come out on top – but it almost seem apropos and kind of justified," Woodard said. "The hard part was I was slowing up the meet so I could score it, and I was hand scoring it. I was the pain. I was going back and forth with changes, and finally I got to the point where they couldn't get two of the last two events scored, so I we just stuck with what we had."
Â
The results building into the final race were just as impressive.
Â
Erin Dawson and Lexie Trietley were both double winners on the day. Dawson led a 1-2 finish with Anika Johnson in the 200 free in one of the closest races of the day, Dawson touching in 1:54.52, Johnson just .04 behind her. Dawson would come back to win the final individual race of the day, the 200 individual medley in 2:07.63.
Â
The freshman Trietley continued her strong sprint results, leading 1-2 finishes with Megan Hager in both the 50 and 100 freestyles, posting times of 23.15 and 51.28, respectively; Hager touched in 23.77 and 52.08. The Rams would win nine of the 16 events in the meet, with Maya White (1,000 free), Katie McClelland (100 breast), Amanda Hoffman (200 fly) and Lucy Matheson (200 back) all posting victories.
Â
While Dawson's 200 victory was impressive to Woodard, the result which really stood out to him was White in the 1,000 free at nearly 2,500 more feet of elevation than the team trains in at home.
Â
"The biggest surprise to me was Maya being able to swim that time at 7,000 feet," Woodard said. "I think altitude-adjusted, that comes down to a 10:15. That's one of the best, 1,000s she's ever swam."
Â
Matheson had a pair of runner-up finishes, in both the 100 back and 100 fly, the 100 backstroke the closest margin of the day as she was touched up by .02. McClelland was second in the 200 breast, and the 200 medley team opened with a second-place showing. NAU, the nine-time defending WAC champions, won the other seven events.
Â
CSU piled up depth points along the way, with Claire Wright, Kendra Preski, Liza Lunina, Emily Chorpening, Olivia LeBlanc, Sarah Mundy, Hannah Sykes, Johnson, White and Dawson all adding top-five finishes. Jessica Albanna paced the Rams on the boards with a pair of placings, her best being third on the 1-meter board with a personal-best score of 276.05.
Â
It was an emotional day, and by the time Woodard had guided his van to the exit for the hotel, the news came the final score was actually a tie, leading the team into a loud celebration. That rush of emotion, and the way they performed, reiterated to Woodard his team has built one of the most valuable characteristics – toughness.
Â
"When we reached the end, we thought we'd lost by two points, and I could see the genuine hurt and a disappointment in their eyes," he said. "It's a hard thing to see, but it's necessary for growth. It shows where our culture is at. They just continue to battle. I couldn't be prouder."
Â
The Rams will remain in Phoenix through Wednesday to train before returning back to Fort Collins. They will return to competition Jan. 20-21 at the Air Force Academy, with duals against the Falcons, Seattle, Colorado Mesa and BYU.
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Players Mentioned
DIVE
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FR, IM
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FR, FLY, IM
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BR, FLY, IM
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FR, FLY
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FR, FL
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Free
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FR
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FREE, FLY, BACK
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FLY/BK/IM
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FR, FLY
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FREE, FLY
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FR
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FR, BR IM
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BR, IM
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