GUNNISON, Colo.  Mountaineer divers Meredith Clabaugh and Alexandra Wallis during Saturday's 186-63 victory over visiting Adams State each surpassed the first of two required qualifying marks for the national championship meet.

Along with diving sweeps of the 6-dive and 11-dive 1-meter events, Western Colorado swimmers won seven of 10 individual events and captured the opening 200-yard medley relay and meet-closing 200 freestyle relay.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western Colorado def. Adams State, 186-63
Records: Western 7-1, Adams State 1-8
Location: Paul Wright Natatorium, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Clabaugh (394.20 points) and Wallis (390.67) took first and second, respectively, in the 11-dive 1m event, both achieving the first of two required point totals toward qualifying for nationals. New qualifying rules recently instituted for 2022-23 require divers to surpass the qualifying standard (390.00) twice during the season. Divers must also have a minimum degree of difficulty of 13.0 from their six optional dive list.
• Saturday began with the 6-dive 1m board, on which Wallis (229.80) edged out Clabaugh (226.35), with Taylor Grebe – who placed third in the 11-dive event and later chipped in with a second in the 100 freestyle – finishing in third place with 192.10 points.
• The quartet of Courtney Coplan, Leah Wagner, AvaMarie Hopewell and Makenna Lambert got Western rolling in the first swimming event with their win in the medley relay.
• Lambert's first place with the relay would not be her only top finish. She also won the 100 free with a time of 55.40 seconds, then three events later would touch first in the 200 backstroke (2:15.94). As well, Lambert anchored the winning 200 free relay at the end of the meet.
• Picking up a pair of firsts was Tayla Liddle, beginning with her win in the 200 free (2:09.96) in the initial individual swimming event of the day. Three events later she was back on the blocks and then first to the finish, this time capturing the 200 butterfly (2:25.98) before adding a fourth place in the 50 free (26.56).
• Addison O'Donnell earned a first in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.55) and a second in the 200 breast (2:39.50), and swam third on the winning 200 free relay.
• Also adding first place finishes for Western were Grace Humbert in the 200 individual medley (2:27.51) and Hopewell in the 100 butterfly (1:03.41). Humbert's afternoon also included a third in the 200 back (2:17.19) while Hopewell added thirds in the 100 back (1:08.32) and 50 free (26.20).
• Coplan led off both winning relays, added second-place finishes in the 50 free (25.89) and 200 free (2:13.72), and swam to a fourth place in the 100 breast (1:16.86).
• Western and Adams have a great deal of familiarity this season, having met three times in dual meets (all Mountaineer victories) and finishing ahead of the Grizzlies at the TYR/CMU Invitational and at the Colorado College Classic last weekend.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Mountaineers and Grizzlies will join the other Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams in Grand Junction, Colorado, February 8-11 for the conference championship meet at Colorado Mesa University's El Pomar Natatorium.