Northern Colorado vs Air Force (Women)
- January 12, 2024
- Greely, Colo.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: UNC Bears
GREELY, Colo. – Northern Colorado swimming and diving sent nine seniors out with a 167-133 win over Air Force in their final competition at Butler-Hancock Pool Friday.
The Bears honored Kyriana Chambo, Ali Jackson, Sarah Jackson, Payten Irwin, Katelyn Bergin, Sunna Svanlaug Vilhjalmsdottir, Saana Liikonen, Paula Lomonaco and Emina Pasukan in a ceremony before the competition to honor them for their contributions in and out of the pool to the team, the athletic department and university during their time as a Bear.
UNC swept both the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay and took third in the 200-yard medley.
Katelyn Bergin, Maria Erokhina, Ali Jackson and Irwin opened the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay (1:45.97). Saana Liikonen, Ellyson Lombardi, Emina Pasukan and Martina Yuki Trionfetti finished third in a time of 1:47.61.
Trionfetti and Liikonen teamed up with Kyra Rabess and Ali Jackson posted a winning time of 3:32.44 in the 400-yard freestyle relay to close out the meet.
In individual races, the Bears claimed victories, second place finishes and claiming the bronze position on the podium.
Kyra Rabess won both the freestyle distance races, earning triumphs in the 500-yard (5:08.14) and the 1,000 (10:26.63).
Payten Irwin swept the top spot in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly, posting times of 57.43 and 2:06.05, respectively.
Elizabeth Mayer earned a victory in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:55.45.
Trionfetti collected a pair of individual podium finishes in two different disciplines, touching the wall first in the 100-yard backstroke (57.97) and in the runner-up slot in the 100-yard freestyle (53.87).
Cheyanna Cordova placed third in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:54.68).
Erokhina claimed three podium finishes for the Bears, winning the 100 (1:03.52) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:19.45) and placed second in the 200-yard IM (2:10.10).
Ali Jackson took gold in the 50-yard freestyle (24.42).
Vilhjalmsdottir third in the 100-yard breaststroke 1:07.61
Lombardi earned silver in the 100 (57.55) and 200-yard butterfly (2:07.22) races.
Bergin placed third in the 200-yard IM (2:13.64).
In diving action, Madison Berg won the 1-meter springboard (266.70), while taking second in the 3-meter springboard (245.03). Chambo earned a second in the 1-meter springboard and a third in the 3-meter springboard (238.95).
NEXT MEET: UNC closes the regular season at 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 27, when the Bears travel to Fort Collins for a clash with Colorado State.
Courtesy: Air Force Athletics
GREELEY- In its first run of action since December 19, Air Force fell 167.00-133.00 to Northern Colorado, though the Falcons picked up steam as the night progressed.
“We started this meet very slowly after a long bus ride and we needed to be warmed up and ready to go,” said head swimming coach Colleen Murphy. “Unfortunately were very flat at the beginning and got out-touched in every close race.
As Coach Murphy noted, Air Force saw the early swims go against the Falcons. The four-woman team of Kai-Min Tsuei, Naomi Furman, Allana Clarke, and Abby Turner opened the meet with the 200 Medley Relay, placing second in the race after clocking in at 1:46.27. The Bears relay team finished .30 seconds ahead of the Falcons.
Katie Andrist provided the Falcons a strong showing in the 1000 Freestyle, as the sophomore also placed second with a time of 10:46.39. Andrist added a second place conclusion in the 500 Freestyle (5:16.55) as well.
Audrey Laganelli also provided a second-place standing in the 200 Freestyle, seeing a Northern Colorado swimmer clock in just over a second ahead of the freshman.
Tsuei and Clarke finished 2-3 in the 100 Backstroke, recording times of 58.33 and 59.30, respectively.
Furman returned to the pool in the 100 Breaststroke, notching yet another second-place finish after a time of 1:05.99.
As the evening moved along, so did Air Force. Kinzie Etzelmiller claimed victory in the 3-Meter dive after posting a score of 255.45. The senior was also awarded an identical score in the 1-Meter dive to place third.
“After the first break, the team showed their resiliency and came out ready to compete,” said Murphy.
Following Etzelmiller was Turner, who edged out a winning swim in the 100 Freestyle (53.73).
With momentum on their side, Tsuei, Ella Martin, and Corrine Yorkman managed a 1-2-3 sweep of the 200 Backstroke. Tsuei notched a time of 2:08.13, while Martin (2:09.32) and Yorkman (2:09.74) followed close behind.
Martin also added a win in the 200 IM, claiming victory in the swim after touching out at 2:09.47.
“The second half of the meet, they rose to the challenge and learned a lot about their grit and determination. I am very proud of how they rebounded a rough start,” said Murphy.
Next, Air Force will return home to host Colorado School of Mines on Saturday, January 13. The dual meet is schedule to begin at 11:00 am MT.
