The University of Wyoming’s swimming and diving team has named four team captains for the 2020-2021 season: Mitchell Hovis, Miller Browne, Katelyn Blattner and Hannah McLean-Leonard.
Hovis is a rising senior on the men’s team who specializes in breaststroke. At the 2019 WAC Championships he took 5th in the 200 breaststroke (1:59.57) and seventh in the 100 breaststroke (54.55), swimming two season bests. At the same meet in 2020 Hovis claimed 13th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:02.52. His fastest 200 breaststroke is clocked at 1:58.81 from the 2019 Mizzou Invitational. In 2020 he was named an Academic All-WAC honoree.
Browne, a junior Cowboy, is a backstroke specialist. As a freshman letterwinner he placed 14th in the 200 back at WAC Championships with a time of 1:49.34. At the same meet he placed 20th in the 100 backstroke at a time of 52.00. Last season he placed 15th in the 200 back with a time of 1:48.59. He was also named a 2020 Academic All-WAC honoree.
Blattner is a senior and a record-holder on the women’s team. She specializes in butterfly and IM, but she set the team 500 freestyle record this February at the Mountain West Conference Championships with a time of 4:45.39. At the beginning of this years’ championship season, Blattner went into the 500 free A final at the CSCAA National Invite in tenth place. That night she jumped up to third place with a time of 4:48.61. She was the conference co-champion this season in the 200 free, swimming a 1:47.35 to tie with Nevada senior Andressa Lima. This, combined with her second place finish and career best time of 1:56.13 in the 200 backstroke, earned her a spot on the All-Mountain West team.
McLean-Leonard is a senior Cowgirl and a prominent butterfly specialist who holds the school record in the 100 butterfly. At last year’s conference championships, she set the 100 fly record again with a time of 52.70. During the same meet she finished third in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:59.37. Both of these performances earned McLean-Leonard a spot on the All-Mountain West team alongside Blattner. In March at the CSCAA National Invite she raced the 50 fly in a time of 24.30, claiming fifth.
Both women’s captains earned CSCAA Scholar All-American Honors for their performances in the classroom during the 2019-2020 season. This will be Blattner’s second consecutive season as a team captain.
The Cowboys ended last season at the WAC Championships with a fourth place finish under third-year head coach Dave Denniston, and the Cowgirls placed third at the Mountain West Championships.
For Ms. Blattner, that 1:56 was for second in the 2BK, she tied for first at conference in the 2FR with a 1:47. 1:56 seemed a little slow for a conference A final 2FR.
Congratulations and Go Pokes!