Northern Colorado vs Wyoming
- Thursday, November 4, 2021
- Laramie, Wyo.
- Results
Courtesy: Northern Colorado Athletics
LARAMIE, Wyo. – What may have seemed impossible has now become reality. Gutsy swims up and down the roster from Northern Colorado gave the Bears its second dual win over Wyoming, 151-148.
UNC kicked off the afternoon with another dominant performance in the 400 medley relay. Madelyn Moore, Chelaine van der Westhuizen, Payten Irwin and Saana Liikonen edged out the Cowgirls, hitting the wall at 3:48.27.
Senior Anna Austin kept the winning ways going for Northern Colorado, punching in at 10:33.91 to claim the win in the 1,000-yard freestyle. The Arvada, Colorado native also posted a second-place finish in the 500 free and came in third in the 200 fly to score crucial points for head coach Lisa Ebeling.
Giulia Pavanello has impressed in the early days of her freshman season in the Blue and Gold. Pavanello led the charge in the 200 free, clocking in at 1:55.66. The youngster saved her best swims for the 500 free and 200 free relay. Pavanello dialed up a 5:07.72 to win the long-distance event, and swam an integral third-leg of the final relay.
In the 100 back, Katelyn Bergin still reigns supreme. Already with a WAC Swimmer of the Week award this season, Bergin made a strong push for a second on Thursday, hitting the wall first at 57.66 in the 100 back and picking up a second win in the 100 fly with a 55.90 which goes down as the top time in the WAC so far this year.
Following her win in the 400 medley relay, van der Westhuizen swam a strong race to finish second in the 100 breast with a 1:05.02. However, the South African also saved her best effort for later in the meet, outswimming everyone in the 200 breast with a time of 2:21.93.
The 200 fly belonged to Payten Irwin. Her time of 2:08.61 didn’t beat her conference-leading time this season but was good enough to earn nine points for the Bears.
Ready to show the collegiate swimming world what she’s got this season, Saana Liikonen came out on fire in Laramie. Her 50 free time of 23.25 edged out teammate Moore and is now the fastest time in the WAC this year. The sophomore from Finland also touched the wall second in the 100 free.
Moore, along with her relay wins, picked up the victory in the 100 free. The senior edged out Liikonen with a time of 51.47.
Angeline Settle and Madison Berg were both in action in the diving well. Settle scored in both events, delivering a 205.58 in the 1 meter and a 196.05 in the 3 meter. Berg also scored a point in the 1 meter with a 192.00.
It all came down to the final relay of the night. Sensing history within reach, Saana Liikonen, Ali Jackson, Giulia Pavanello and Madelyn Moore weren’t about to let it slip through their grasps. Crashing into the wall a full second ahead of Wyoming with a 1:34.52, the Bears claimed the best time in the conference this season and more importantly, knocked off the Cowgirls for just the second time in program history.
DECK TALK
Head coach, Lisa Ebeling
“Tonight was a special night for our women. They’ve been working toward this win for a long time. Wyoming is an incredibly strong program and they always give us a really good fight, historically coming out on top. Tonight, our girls raced with heart and got their hands on the wall first when it mattered. I’m just incredibly proud. I believe this will be a good boost in confidence as we transition next week and start getting ready for our mid-season invitational.”
WHAT’S AHEAD
Northern Colorado with rest and reset next week before heading off to Dixie State for the Mid-Season Invitational No. 18-20.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Swim and Dive, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the new UNC Athletics app by clicking here.
Courtesy: Wyoming Athletics
