FAIRBANKS, Alaska  Western Colorado's swimmers closed out their trip to Alaska with Saturday's 134-71 dual meet victory over host University of Alaska Fairbanks, completing a sweep of the Nanooks following Friday's win.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. UA Fairbanks, 134-71
Records: Western 7-0, Fairbanks 2-10
Location: Patty Center Pool, Fairbanks, Alaska

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Just like in Friday's dual meet, UAF broke into the lead with a win in the first event, taking the 200-yard medley relay to craft an 11-6 advantage.
• Western's deficit was erased, for good, with the next event as Morgan Nielsen and Sophia Del Rosario raced to a 1-2 finish, respectively, in the 1,000 freestyle. Nielsen won with a time of 11 minutes, 1.60 seconds, followed by Del Rosario's 11:11.49. With Sidney-Ann Morris' fifth place (11:30.95), the Mountaineer outscored the Nanooks in the event 14-5 and move ahead in the team scoring, 20-16.
• Jordan Maruska won the first of two events in the next race, squeezing out a win in the 200 free with a winning time of 2:00.08, just ahead of UAF's Dorka Dancsok in second (2:00.32) and Mountaineer teammate Makenna Lambert in third (2:00.81).
• The win parade continued over the next four events, beginning with Misha Little's win in the 50 free (25.85), with Elliette Ferguson adding a third place (26.97).
• Del Rosario was back in the pool next, edging out Fairbanks' Naomi Burgan for the win in the 400 individual medley. Del Rosario touched first in 4:50.00, just ahead of Burgan's runner-up time of 4:50.41.
• A 1-2-3 sweep of the next event ballooned Western's advantage as Sage Patterson, Zoe Wolfe and Miranda Noonan were first to the pads in the 200 butterfly. Patterson posted a winning time of 2:20.03, Wolfe was right behind in 2:20.46, and Noonan was third in 2:21.95.
• UAF finally broke that string with a win in the 200 backstroke, only to have Maruska pick up that second win in the next event, the 500 free. This time she put a bit of a gap between her winning time of 5:23.40 and the Nanooks' Burgan in second (5:28.96), with Patterson (5:36.29) adding a third place for the Mountaineers.
• UAF captured first in the final individual event but, again, like with Friday's dual, the Mountaineers captured the final relay. Little, Del Rosario, Maruska and Lambert registered a start-to-finish win in the 200 free relay, combining for a winning time of 1:42.27, out-touching the Nanooks who touched in 1:42.83.

DIVING RESULTS

• Divers Ashlynn Mixon and Andie Moon went in a different direction over the weekend, making the shorter trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the Colorado College Classic.
• Mixon earned seventh place Friday in the women's 3-meter, 11 dives event, posting a score of 250.55.
• Saturday saw Mixon finish 11th in the 1M, 11 dives event, earning 269.10 points. Moon was 14th with 201.20 points.

UP NEXT

• The trips to Alaska and Colorado Springs concluded the Mountaineers' regular season meet schedule.
• Western's swimmers and divers will next participate in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2024 Swimming and Diving Championship, which runs from February 13 through 17, in Grand Junction, Colorado.