New Mexico Intrasquad
- October 1, 2021
- Albuquerque, N.M.
Courtesy: New Mexico Athletics
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was just a Cherry/Silver exhibition, but it was so much more than that to the Lobo Swimming and Diving team that finally ran through a complete meet for the first time in two seasons, and it set the program up nicely for next weeks first full meet of the season, at CSU Pueblo on Friday.
As it was the team went through 10 full events (with a very slow and relaxing 100-yard cool-down swim between each swimming race to help simulate the speed of an actual meet. A few events weren’t raced, including a UNM signature, the 1,650 that has been dominated in the past by Josie Carpenter. Carpenter had to settle instead with swimming in the 500-yard race, of which she finished third.
In diving, Hannah Tiendas picked up where she left off in 2019, winning both the 1 and 3-meter dives, although the meet quickly showed that the diving team has depth as a pair of newcomers in Tiah Barrow and Kristen Hepfer were second and third respectively in the 3-meter. Jocelyn Gallais and Daphne Scheck made sure they would still be a factor finishing ahead in the 1-meter, giving UNM plenty of scoring options in the dive.
In the pool, Mari Aoki took a pair of wins, taking the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke. Kailey Turner and Katy McCarter, two more newcomers, took individual titles along with Olivia Bishop, and they teamed with Laura Benkova for a 200-yard freestyle relay win. Turner won the 200-yard butterfly, McCarter the 50-yard free and Bishop the 200-yard freestyle. Bishop also had a third title in winning the 100-yard freestyle.
Other winners were Albuquerque native Brynn Quintana, who won the 500-yard freestyle and Kiana Raagas, who won the 200-yard breaststroke.
Benkova was also a part of the winning 200-yard medley relay with Aoki, Raagas and MaCarter.
