Rams Stack Top 10 times and Near Record Relay on Day 2

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Nov 21

9 AM Prelims/4 PM Finals

Women's Swimming & Diving

at Phill Hansel Invitational

Jan 5

TBA

Women's Swimming & Diving

at Northern Arizona

Jan 10

TBA

Women's Swimming & Diving

at Air Force

Jan 10

TBA

Women's Swimming & Diving

vs New Mexico

Jan 24

11:00 AM

Women's Swimming & Diving

vs Northern Colorado

HOUSTON – Competition intensified with faster prelims, stronger final swims and rising confidence.

Colorado State's swimming and dive team continued to build momentum on the second day of the Phill Hansel Invitational, piecing together stronger prelim swims and adding key scoring performances as the Rams settled into their midseason rhythm at the CRWC Natatorium. The morning featured a wave of top-10 times, highlighted by breakthrough butterfly swims and a relay effort which came within inches of another school record.

The Rams 200-yard medley relay squad of Tess Whineray, Claire Wright, Evie Munz and Lexie Trietley placed fourth with a time of 1:39.72, just shy of breaking the school record set in 2010 by just .02 seconds. Their performance not only energized the team but also secured a spot in CSUs all-time top 10, further strengthening the program's relay depth

"We have been lucky, both in our sprint medleys and freestyle relays have shown a lot of depth," coach Christopher Woodard said. "Both our B and C relays were pretty stacked, but our A relay coming two hundredths away from the record, I think they're encouraged that if they just get a little but more work on their transitions, specifically their relay starts, their time on the block, I think they're going to best that."

The highlight of the morning came once again from Whineray, who followed up her record-breaking performance from Day 1 with another pair of elite swims in the 100 backstroke. She opened the morning with 52.85 in prelims to place second and secured a prime lane for finals, then returned in the evening to improve to 52.59 (her second NCAA standard in the event) and finish second overall just behind two-time defending Mountain West champion and conference record holder Scarlett Ferris.

"I think other competitors might get a little bit in their heads. Scarlett is a very tough competitor," Woodard said. "Tess stays in her own lane, and I think that's her ability while she wants to win, and she will compete with anyone that is going head-to-head with her. She knows her stroke count. She knows her kick count. She doesn't deviate from it."

Earlier in the day, the Rams opened prelims with major breakthroughs in the 100 butterfly where Munz and Mavi Nehir Isman produced two of the fastest swims marks in program history. Munz placed sixth in the prelims with a time of 54.51, while Nehir Isman finished close behind in eighth at 54.54. Both swims rank inside Colorado State's all-time top 10, pushing the team out to a strong start. Isman finished seventh in the finals with a time of 55.06 with Munz in eighth with 55.18.

The program record book continued to shift as the Rams added two more top-10 program marks in the 100 breaststroke, where Wright delivered a 1:02.56 to rank seventh in the record book, followed closely by Margo Hauser at 1:02.68, now eighth all-time. In the 100 back Gabby Hall added another milestone for the group, posting a 55.32 to secure the ninth fastest time.

Wright finished 11th in the 100 breast finals at 1:02.62 with Hauser in 13th place with 1:02.68 and Hall coming in 14th in the back with a time of 55.32.

"When you see results, you start to understand. OK, the work we're doing is paying off," Woodard said. "It's those second and third kids who are starting to come through and really shine and maybe show us what they can do in the future."

Erin Dawson placed sixth in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:20.39, while Mia Axelman added an 11^th-place finish in the 200 freestyle at 1:49.28. The Rams closed out the session with a strong showing in the 800 freestyle relay, as the squad of Axelman, Whineray, Emma Lindstrom and Dawson finished sixth in 7:24.79.

The Rams added valuable points on the 3-meter board by Maggie Di Scipio, who scored 255.95 in the prelims, placing 16th after the consolation finals with a score of 182.55 on the board.

With strong prelim swims, multiple top-10 program marks, and a relay that came within a fingertip of another record, Colorado State heads into Friday's events in seventh with 486.5 points and carrying momentum with a clear sense of upward trajectory. Friday's preliminary session begins at 9 a.m., followed by platform diving prelims at 11 a.m. Finals are set for 3:30 p.m.

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