PUEBLO, Colo.  Western Colorado swimming and diving begins its 2025-26 schedule with the 3rd Annual Dan France Continental Divide Cup, to be contested Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20 at Sam Jones Natatorium at Colorado State University Pueblo.

Participating in the two-day meet along with the Mountaineers and the host ThunderWolves are also Adams State University and the University of Nebraska Kearney.

The meet is divided into two separate days of scoring competition, with the Cup champion crowned after combining the team scores from the two days of swimming and diving.

Day 1 event schedule (1:30 p.m. diving, 3:30 p.m. swimming):

• 1-meter diving (6 optionals)
• 200-yard medley relay
• 1,000 freestyle
• 200 freestyle
• 50 freestyle
• 200 individual medley
• 100 butterfly
• 100 freestyle
• 100 backstroke
• 500 freestyle
• 1-meter diving (5 voluntaries)
• 100 breaststroke
• 400 freestyle relay

Day 2 event schedule (9:40 a.m.):

• 3-meter diving (6 optionals)
• 400 medley relay
• 1,650 freestyle
• 50 backstroke
• 50 breaststroke
• 200 butterfly
• 100 individual medley
• 200 backstroke
• 200 breaststroke
• 50 butterfly
• 3-meter diving (5 voluntaries)
• 400 individual medley
• 200 freestyle relay

Teams are limited to four scorers in individual events, and two scoring relays.

Western returns two-time NCAA Division II swimming and diving championship participant Morgan Nielsen, as well as two-time NCAA DII Diving Qualification Meet participant Alexandra Wallis.

Nielsen set three school records while swimming at the 2025 championship meet in Indianapolis, breaking records she set the season before.

She holds the Mountaineer record of 4 minutes, 59.23 seconds in the 500-yard freestyle; the 1,000 freestyle record (10:19.85); and the 1,650 freestyle record (17:10.82).

Wallis has the school record for 3-meter diving (6 optionals) with a score of 272.55 points.

Also returning for the 2025-26 season is Leah Wagner, who set three school records last season and posted an NCAA B qualifying time in the 200 breaststroke. Wagner set records for the 200 breaststroke (2:20.71), the 200 individual medley (2:09.31), and the 400 IM (4:36.86).

One of four swimmers that set a new program mark for the 200 medley relay (1:46.47), butterflyer Joanna Swiderska, is back for her second season with the program.

Head coach Vickie Fellows, in her fifth season at the helm of the program, added 15 newcomers to a returning roster of 15 swimmers and divers.