The Rams swim and dive team entered their second meet of the season with determination and confidence. After a disappointing loss against the Wyoming Cowgirls in early October, CSU now had an opportunity to put into action any changes made from that meet to this one.
The meet was held in a different location from the normal Moby Arena pool. The Edora Pool Ice Center was home to this extended meet, and it was clear the change of scenery had an impact on fan attendance. The double dual meet was against the New Mexico Lobos and the Air Force Falcons.
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“The Rams showed out in a dominant display of all-around power, only losing a couple events.”
The previous home meet at Moby had a much larger audience, most likely in part due to the location and convenience for CSU students. This meet was unlike most collegiate level meets, with several 50-yard events.
Typically, the only 50-yard event at the collegiate level is the 50-yard freestyle, but at this meet, there was the 50-yard butterfly and breaststroke alongside the 50-yard freestyle.
“It interrupts the flow a little bit, but it’s an opportunity,” head coach Christopher Woodard said. “Even kids who aren’t even necessarily sprinters get an opportunity to see, ‘OK, how fast can I go?’ It’s kind of an open audition (for relays). This is your best opportunity early in the season — not just in practice but in a competition — to see what you can do.”
The meet began with a Rams victory thanks to a rapid last leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay from Lexie Trietley. The sophomore has been a staple of the Rams team, dominating nearly every event she swims.
The first day of competition brought quick swims for the Rams. The Rams showed out in a dominant display of all-around power, only losing a few events.
More notable successes from the first day were the 200 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle, 400 individual medley and the 50 freestyle. The Rams have strong athletes in these events, allowing them to get the upper hand in points going into the second day of competition.
For the final event of the first night, the Rams competed in the 400 medley relay. This event not only showcases the individual swimmer’s skills but also their ability to pull together a cohesive race in order to win the event.
Colorado State and Air Force went back and forth the whole race, with some swimmers having solid underwaters and others more solid starts. The event came down to the wire, with CSU’s A Relay placing first, Air Force’s A Relay barely getting out-touched for second and CSU’s B Relay coming in to seal the deal in third.
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The Saturday Homecoming festivities began with the Colorado State Rams competing back at EPIC with high hopes of finishing the first double-dual meet of the season with a win.
The day started off strong yet again, with the Rams placing first and third in the 200 medley relay. The goal for this second day of competition was to keep a competitive attitude and to fight fatigue from the first day.
Following the medley relay win, the Rams placed first in all but one event, with many events having two CSU athletes place in the top three. Most notably, the 200-yard backstroke had Rams sweep first, second and third place.
Tess Whineray won this event by a shocking four seconds. In fact, the majority of the Rams won their events by over a second. The 400-yard freestyle relay was won by over a second, and Treitley won the 100-yard freestyle by exactly two seconds.
Overall, the second day of competition at EPIC was a story of total domination for the Rams, allowing them to comfortably win the meet. CSU defeated Air Force 276-134 and New Mexico 323-87.
Reach Emma Askren at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @emma_askren.
