GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado swimming & diving closed out its regular season schedule on Saturday with a dominating 219-41 Senior Day victory over visiting Adams State University, taking first place in 14 of 16 events and getting pool and school records from diver Chloe Brown.

Seniors Trinity Caudle, Makenna Lambert and Miranda Noonan were celebrated prior to the start of the swimming events, joined by family members and friends.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. Adams State, 219-41
Records: Western 5-2, Adams State 1-6
Location: Paul Wright Natatorium, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The day began with Brown and Alexandra Wallis taking first and second place in the 1-meter, 11 dive event. Brown's score of 475.30 points erased the old pool and school records, while Wallis earned the runner-up spot with 465.45 points.

It was another 1-2 finish for the Mountaineers in the initial swimming event, the 400-yard medley relay. LynDea Turner, Leah Wagner, AvaMarie Hopewell and Lambert teamed up for a winning time of 4:09.87, while the 'B' relay of Morgan Nielsen, Trinity Caudle, Elisa Elsberry and Madi Zach posted a second-place time of 2:18.44.

Nielsen was right back up on the blocks for the next event, leading a collection of Mountaineers to the pads in winning the 1,000 freestyle in 11:01.33. Teammates followed in second, third and fourth places as Sophia Del Rosario (11:40.42), Hopewell (11:50.03) and Sidney-Ann Morris (11:54.02) joined Nielsen to sweep the top spots in the event.

Maggie Dean (2:15.10) and Lambert (2:18.62) led Western to a 1-2 finish in the 200 free, followed by a 1-2-3 finish in the 100 backstroke from Amayah Warren (1:04.95), Grace Gardner (1:06.80) and Ella Fries (1:07.09).

Caudle (1:08.89) and Demi Blaylock (1:14.39) would take first and second in the 100 breaststroke, followed by Noonan earning first in the 200 butterfly (2:25.98).

The 50 free brought a rush of Mountaineers in the down and back race as Western registered the fastest five swimmers back to the pads. Fries won the event with a time of 26.18 seconds, edging out Hopewell (26.43) and Turner (26.77) in second and third. Chiming in to add to the sweep were Warren (27.50) and Caudle (27.96) in fourth and fifth.

The schedule break in the swimming events put Western's divers up on the board for the 1m, 6-optionals event. Brown again broke pool and school records with her performance, hitting a score of 289.20 points. Wallis' second-place score of 281.50 gave her the second of two required 1m scores to earn inclusion for the NCAA Division II Diving Qualification Meet the day before the national championship event in Indianapolis. In third place was Western's Ashlynn Mixon with 223.55 points.

Wallis has one of the two required scores on 3m, while Brown has all the qualification scores for the Qualifying Meet for both 1m and 3m.

Adams State's Jocelyn Jones finally got Adams State to the top step of the podium once action returned between the lane lines, winning the 100 free (58.50) to edge out Dean (59.19).

Western posted a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200 backstroke by Turner (2:15.65), Nielsen (2:22.37) and Caudle (2:29.87), followed by a win by Wagner in the 200 breaststroke (2:31.84).

Swimming a difficult double, Wagner was right back in the pool in the next event and swam to a second-place finish in the 500 free with a time of 5:42.65, only 10ths of a second behind Adams' Jones (5:42.39).

The final two individual events saw 1-2 finishes for the Mountaineers. Lambert (1:03.29) and Blaylock (1:05.65) swept those spots in the 100 butterfly, and Turner (4:57.67) and Del Rosario (5:04.31) did the same in the 400 individual medley.

The final event of the day provide one more 1-2 finish by the Mountaineers.

Wagner, Nielsen, Zach and Lambert combined for a winning time of 3:53.71 in the 400 free relay, with Del Rosario, Gardner, Morris and Warren placing second with a time of 4:00.75.
UP NEXT
Western heads to Grand Junction, Colo, for the Feb. 11-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference swimming & diving championship at Colorado Mesa University's El Pomar Natatorium.