Whineray Leads Rams with Record-Setting Backstroke at Invite

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All Day

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at Air Force Diving Invitational

HOUSTON – Racing with vigor and purpose, competitors set the pace for a competitive day.

Colorado State's swimming and diving team came into the final session of the Phill Hansel Invitation with grit. Athletes arrived with strong energy and a clear strategy, determined to build on the momentum from earlier in the meet. Their preparation and focus were evident in the early heats, where swimmers showcased both speed and technical precision, setting the tone for a competitive and successful final day. More top 10 marks were achieved, program records were broken, and standout performances highlighted the team's depth and talent across multiple events.

Tess Whineray came ready in the lanes, placing first in the preliminaries of the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:54.43. She went on to set a school record in winning the event with a time of 1:53.36, surpassing Breann Fuller's previous record of 1:54.40 set in 2013 by 1.04 seconds. Surpassing a record set by Fuller, a member of Colorado State's Hall of Fame, makes Whineray's achievement an especially impressive milestone in the program's history. Whineray is now the record holder in both backstroke events and claimed the title of backstroke champion at the Phill Hansel Invitational.

"It's her commitment to the process. She comes in every day thinking about race strategy and how she's going to improve and how she's going to execute that, and it's no secret. Happy swimmers are fast swimmers," coach Christopher Woodard said. "She's just at a point right now where she's really happy doing what she's doing and mashing the school record by a full second and earning a NCAA standard made her light up after that."

Whineray's time is the third fastest in Mountain West History. Her record-setting swim demonstrates exceptional skill and precision, establishing a new benchmark for the program. And she wasn't done.

The Rams capped off the final day with a strong finish, claiming first place in the 400 freestyle relay in a school-record time of 3:19.15. The squad of Azalea Shepherd, Mia Axelman, Whineray and Lexie Trietley delivered a fast and precise performance, highlighting the team's cohesion and competitive sprint to close out the meet on a high note.

"The energy was high. As much as we celebrate the individuals, closing out with a relay win with Tess on it means even more because they are all very much team first," Woodard said. "They recognize Tess's success is the team's success and the team's success is Tess's success."
In the 100 freestyle, Trietley finished sixth in the preliminaries with a time of 49.88 before improving to fourth in the finals with a time of 49.77. She edged out teammate Azalea Shepherd, who touched the wall at 49.81 after posting a prelim time of 49.70 to earn a spot in the school's top 10.

The 200 breaststroke featured strong showings from Claire Wright, who placed 10th in the finals with a time of 2:15.77, improving her spot in the school's top 10 from ninth to seventh. Margo Hauser also added to the program's top 10 in the event with a time of 2:17.04, placing 14th.

On the platform, Julliana Dod scored 180.65 to qualify for the consolation finals, where she improved her score by 22.55 points to 203.20, moving into eighth place in the school's history on the platform. Riley Lee placed 17th.

"We're climbing the record board and the top 10s, and when you look at where we started the week compared to where we finished, climbing our way into sixth place and just a hair off fifth, that was key. They're in a good spot, and the relays really highlight that. Four out of five relays setting school records is pretty huge for us," Woodard said.

Colorado State finished the Phill Hansel Invitational sixth overall, totaling 727.5 points.

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