2024 Denver First Chance
- February 9-10, 2024
- Denver, Colo.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Denver Athletics
DENVER – The University of Denver men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs began the final meet of the regular season with 15 events on Friday inside El Pomar Natatorium. Denver earned six event wins on the evening.
Event Wins:
Mary O’Neil – Women’s 200 Free – 1:51.49
Tommy Hancock – Men’s 200 Free – 1:39.74
Dylan Wright – Men’s 100 Back – 48.42
Erika Remington – Women’s 50 Free – 22.93
Donat Fabian – Men’s 50 Free – 20.13
Joseph Purdy – Men’s 1650 Free – 16:00.41
How it Happened:
Genevieve Franklin opened the Pioneers meet on Friday evening with a third-place finish in the women’s 400 IM, clocking in at 4:35.74.
Denver’s first win of the evening came in the women’s 200 free. Mary O’Neil led the field of 16 swimmers with a time of 1:51.49.
Tommy Hancock made it a clean sweep in the 200 free for the Pioneers, taking the men’s race with his time of 1:39.74. Brandon Saeedi rounded out the podium in the 13 swimmer field after his 1:41.21.
Annabeth Scalise earned Denver’s next spot on a podium with her time of 58.83 in the women’s 100 back.
Dylan Wright got Denver back in the win column on Friday evening with a 48.42 in the men’s 100 back. Teammate Max Roslin was right behind in second in 48.48.
Sophia Remington grabbed a second-place finish of her own in the women’s 100 breast, clocking in at 1:03.89.
Jason McMechan and Zachary Bayler completed a 2-3 finish in the men’s 200 fly with times of 1:49.69 and 1:52.17, respectively.
Erika Remington earned Denver’s fourth win of the night with her 22.93 in the women’s 50 free. Donat Fabian made it a clean sweep in the 50 for the Pios, taking the men’s sprint in 20.13, edging out teammate Frank Tirone who clocked in at 20.26.
From the sprint to the mile, Joseph Purdy led a Denver 1-2 for the Pioneer men, reaching the final wall in 16:00.41. Will Melsha finished the mile in 16:21.30.
DENVER – The University of Denver men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs won six more events to bring its weekend total to 12 in the final meet of the regular season, the First Chance Invitational, which wrapped up Saturday inside El Pomar Natatorium.
Event Wins:
Mary O’Neil – Women’s 100 Free – 51.77
Tommy Hancock – Men’s 100 Free – 45.36
Max Roslin – Men’s 200 Back – 1:46.32
Genevieve Franklin – Women’s 500 Free – 5:10.38
Mary O’Neil – Women’s 100 Fly – 55.85
Max Roslin – Men’s 200 IM – 1:50.17
How it Happened:
Much like Friday opened, Saturday opened with a victory for Mary O’Neil, this time with a win in the 100 free in 51.77. On the men’s side, Tommy Hancock and Daniel Pineiro combined for 1-2 in the event with times of 45.36 and 45.73, respectively.
Denver’s men turned in another 1-2 finish in the 200 back. Max Roslin clocked in at 1:46.32 to take first and Brandon Saeedi finished second in a time of 1:50.22.
Joseph Purdy earned the middle spot on the podium with a 2:01.75 in the men’s 200 breast on Saturday morning.
In Saturday’s distance swim, Genevieve Franklin won the 500 free in 5:10.38. Kiki Lindsay was a little more than a second behind her teammate, taking second in 5:11.98. On the men’s side, Will Melsha grabbed second in the 500 free in 4:36.52.
O’Neil earned her second win of the morning session and her third win of the weekend in the women’s 100 fly, clocking in at 55.85.
Denver’s men grabbed the final two spots of the podium in the men’s 100 fly when Pineiro (49.75) and Zachary Bayler (50.67) took the second and third spots in the event.
Roslin and Jason McMechan gave Denver yet another 1-2 in the men’s 200 IM. Roslin finished in 1:50.17, while McMechan clocked in at 1:50.33.
Up Next:
Denver has next weekend off before a trip to the 2024 Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships which begin on Wednesday, February 21 in Minneapolis.
Courtesy: Air Force Athletics
DENVER- The Falcons took advantage of their final day of the regular season, as Air Force saw its underclassmen again take part in a number of races on Saturday.
Starting with the 100 Freestyle, Eliana White maintained her solid racing form. The freshman led the pack for Air Force, touching out at 51.86 to finish second overall. Her 51.86 becomes a new season-high in her final appearance of the year.
White was also the winner of the 200 IM, besting the field with a 2:07.07, a new yearly-high.
Catherine Dean (51.89) and Raquelle Roesch (53.20) also posted new season-highs in the 100 Freestyle.
After a solid appearance on Friday, Brynn Bond was again right in the thick of things in the 200 Backstroke. The C4C placed third in the field, touching out at 2:05.88 to record a new season benchmark in the event. In addition to Bond resetting her season-best swim, Kaitlyn Surratt (2:06.03) and Ella Rudik (2:08.43) did so as well.
As the lone Falcon to compete in the 200 Breaststroke, Kat Putchinski managed to put together a new season-best time following her 2:32.39, besting her previous best time by nearly seven seconds.
A variety of Air Force swimmers were responsible for yearly-bests in the 100 Butterfly, including Audrey Laganelli (57.22), Bond (58.19), and Darien Tompkins (58.28).
Air Force ended the afternoon in triumph, as the foursome of Dean, Laganelli, White, and Roesch posted a winning time of 1:35.35 in the 200 Freestyle Relay.
Next, the Falcons will have 11 days to prepare for the Mountain West Championships, beginning Wednesday, February 21.
DENVER- The Falcons used Saturday as one final milestone before the start of the WAC Championships, and there were plenty of positive takeaways to build on as the Denver First Chance Invitational came to a close.
To begin the morning meet, Joe Christ managed a new season-best in the 100 Freestyle, clocking in at 45.90. Gavin Peterman (45.99) and Kai Tiede (46.34) also produced season-best times in the swim.
Moving on to the 200 Backstroke, James Winterfield was Air Force’s highest placer, slotting in at third following a 1:50.59. Garrett Kennedy (1:51.12), Kellen Russell (1:52.59), and Nick Reda (1:54.68) all set new season-bests in the event as well.
Anthony Sebastian is certainly ready for the conference championships, as the sophomore was the victor in the 200 Breaststroke as the result of his 2:01.40.
Air Force sent out a number of a swimmers for the 500 Freestyle, though Tyler Surratt paced the field for the Falcons. The freshman’s 4:38.28 earned him a a third-place standing. Of note, Gavin Dustin’s 4:43.02 in the distance swim reset his season-best in the event.
Joseph Moore finished third in the 200 IM following a time of 1:51.86, the quickest time among Falcon swimmers.
Next, the Falcons will await the start of the WAC Championships, beginning Wednesday, February 28.
Courtesy: Wyoming Athletics
DENVER, Colo. (2/10/24) – The University of Wyoming swimming and diving team wrapped up its 2023-24 regular season Saturday morning. The Cowboys and Cowgirls completed competition at the DU First Chance Meet inside El Pomar Natatorium.
“We had several lifetime-best times and great energy at the meet today,” head coach Dave Denniston said. “It was a nice showcase for our seniors, and I couldn’t be more proud of how this team approached challenges throughout the season. We will certainly miss Zoe, Brooke, Kylee, Lana and Madeline next year.”
As Denniston noted, Saturday marked the final time swimming for a few respected student-athletes. Zoe Robison, Brooke Ford, Kylee Theiler, Lana Jeter and Madeline Bane put a bow on their careers.
Ford highlighted her final day with a runner-up finish in the 200-yard breaststroke, clocking in at 2:25.38. Zoe Robison also swam that event, finishing fourth with a time of 2:27.40. In fact, the Cowgirls took the top four spots in the 200 breaststroke, as Karter Friesen won with a 2:19.60, and Skye Rehard placed third with a 2:26.54.
Quinn Cynor spearheaded the entire team’s effort Saturday with a first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle. He recorded a time of 4:29.82.
Sydney Metzler placed runner-up in the 200-yard backstroke, boasting a time of 2:03.91. Mikayla Moore and Anna Roesler rounded out the top-three Wyoming finishers Saturday, as Moore touched third in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at 51.87, and Roesler took third in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 56.88.
The Cowgirls turn their attention to the Mountain West Conference Championships. That meet, which takes place in Houston, Texas, runs from Feb. 21-24. The Cowboys compete in the Western Athletic Conference Championships in Pharr, Texas, from Feb. 28-March 2.
