Colorado State University women’s swimming and diving began their push for the 2022 Mountain West Conference Championship in College Station, Texas, this past Wednesday, Feb. 16.

The CSU Rams looked to cement lasting memories and finish their year strong for the team’s graduating seniors: Kristina Friedrichs, Madison Hunter, Hope Jestes, Katie Leonard, Elsa Litteken, Kate Meunier and Abbey Owenby. The team did just that, finishing the championship tournament with two new school records.

Friedrichs finished her collegiate swimming career with the green and gold by etching her name twice in the University record book. On day one, Friedrichs led the Rams 800-yard freestyle relay to a new school record time of 7 minutes, 18.04 seconds, scoring CSU 52 team points and shaving off about two seconds from the 2018 record of 7:20.01.

On the final day of the competition, CSU’s 400-yard freestyle relay team, led by Friedrichs, marked a new school record of 3:21.59 and placed third in the relay, scoring CSU 54 team points. This new record broke the previous best time by under one second, an old record that has stood since 1994.

𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕄‼️

Great finish to Day 1⃣ pic.twitter.com/EcmrVD2fqi

— Colorado State Swim & Dive (@CSUSwimDive) February 17, 2022

Sophomore freestyle swimmer Anika Johnson had an incredible outing at the four-day-long championship, which returned to Texas A&M University’s Student Recreation Center Natatorium for the third time.

On day three of the meet, Johnson placed fourth in the 200-yard freestyle event and scored 26 points for the Rams with a blazing fast final time of 1:48.48, making her time the second-best in CSU history. Johnson was not the only underclassman star who shined for CSU during the championship.

Diver Lindsay Gizzi, Diver of the Week award winner and a six-time Mountain West honor recipient, now holds the second-best score at CSU in the 3-meter dive. With a personal best 338.00 score, Gizzi placed fifth in the final round and scored the Rams 25 much-needed points to keep them in fifth place overall on Thursday.

Diving into contention with a PR from @lindsaygizzi_ pic.twitter.com/IsqEnXPSpg

— Colorado State Swim & Dive (@CSUSwimDive) February 17, 2022

For head swimming and diving coach Christopher Woodard, this fifth-place finish at the 2022 Mountain West Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships is an improvement upon years past.

With the aforementioned underclassmen performing above and beyond expectations, the future for CSU swimming and diving is bright, and Ram fans can anticipate success in the future as their team improves.

Reach Jack Taylor at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @J_taylr.