Julia Box was named Mountain West Swimmer of the Week on Tuesday, following the Colorado State women’s swimming and diving program’s key victory last Friday against the University of Northern Colorado.

Box, a senior transfer student from the University at Buffalo, was instrumental in the Rams’ victory. She won the individual 100-yard backstroke and butterfly events, with altitude-adjusted times of 56.81 and 56.19 seconds, respectively. Additionally, she placed second in the 100-yard freestyle and propelled the team to victory in the 200-yard medley relay event.

Box’s performances in her butterfly events are consistent. Impressively, Box holds an all-time record at Buffalo for her part in the 200 medley relay. Box also posted the Rams’ best 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly time last season and is poised to do the same in the 100-yard and 200-yard events this year. 

Backstroke, however, is not her normal event. It’s likely that her winning performance in that individual event helped her claim the Mountain West Swimmer of the Week.

Box is the first Ram to win this honor since Tonicia Thomas in January of 2018, just before she went on to break the women’s team record in the 100-yard backstroke. Current senior Marie Goodwyn took home the award in that same 2017-18 season. Junior Skylar Williams won conference Diver of the Week just last month. The evidence points toward a bright future for the CSU women’s swim team.

Box’s strong individual performance paired with a strong team performance showed just what the Rams are capable of at just the right time. This was the last regular season matchup for the team, and the team’s focus is now on the Mountain West Championships. The four day tournament is hosted at the Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis Feb. 19-22. A livestream will be available via floswimming.com.

Matt Davis can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @MattDavis27.