ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Division II Western Colorado swimming & diving fought above its division Saturday, squaring off against D-I foes University of New Mexico and the University of North Texas, falling to both the host Lobes and to the Mean Green.

JUST THE FACTS
Final scores: New Mexico def. Western, 239-61; North Texas def. Western, 226-74
Location: Armond H. Seidler Natatorium, Albuquerque, N.M.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Western got off to a good start to the meet, taking fourth place in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 51.96 seconds. And in the first individual event, the 1,000 freestyle, Morgan Nielsen, Sophia Del Rosario and Sydney-Ann Morris all bettered early-season best times. Nielsen took fifth in 11:25.41, Del Rosario was next in 11:32.72 followed by Morris in 11:41.98.
• Makenna Lambert posted a season-best time in the 200 free (1:58.31), earning a second place in the event, the highest placing by a Mountaineers swimmer in the meet.
• Joining the improved-time club next was Riley Taylor, who touched the pad in 1:01.11 to place sixth in the 100 backstroke.
• Ella Fries led Western in the 100 breaststroke, touching fourth in the race with a season-best 1:09.07, and Riley Taylor crushed her earlier time in the 200 backstroke, finishing sixth in 214.25.
•  Leah Wagner placed fifth in the 200 breaststroke with a season best (2:33.25), and the quartet of Nielsen (5:38.54), Del Rosario (5:41.04), AvaMarie Hopewell (5:42.03) and Morris (5:44.29) followed with season bests in the 500 freestyle.
• The Mountaineers finished the meet with a fifth place in the 200 free relay (1:43.68).
• Two of Western's divers competed in the meet. Alexandra Wallis posted a score of 157.20 on the 3-meter board with teammate Ashlynn Mixon scoring 129.80. The two flipped places later in the meet with Mixon scoring 149.00 and Wallis 116.75 on the 1m board.

NEXT UP
Western hosts the first day of the two-day Quad Meet, welcoming Adams State, Colorado State Pueblo and Nebraska-Kearney to the Paul Wright Natatorium on Oct. 18, with the teams concluding the meet the following day at Colorado State Pueblo.