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CSU swim and dive sends qualifier to NCAA, finishes 8th at MW

Abigail Wood, Staff Reporter

February 25, 2026

Collegian | Cait Mckinzie

Tess Whineray swims the 200-yard backstroke during Colorado State University’s meet against Washington State University at Moby Pool Oct. 18, 2024. Whineray won the race, but WSU won the meet 141.5-120.5.

Junior Tess Whineray captured the Rams lone Mountain West Championship title Saturday in the 200-yard back with a 1:52.82, defeating defending champion San Diego State’s Abby Storm.

Not only did Whineray’s win secure gold, but it also locked in a berth to the NCAA, following in the footsteps of former Ram Breann Fuller.

Whineray now holds the CSU program record and MW record in the event. Her time in the 200-yard back ranks 30th in the NCAA in 2025-26.

Whineray’s dominant weekend extended beyond her gold medal performance. She added a runner-up finish in the 100-yard back with a time of 51.73, once again taking down another school record.

Yet, CSU was far from a one-swimmer show.

Seven individual Rams made final appearances throughout the championship. Senior Erin Dawson led the way with a third-place finish in the 400 IM, posting a season-best of 4:12.24 along with a sixth-place finish in the 500 free 4:51.61.

Dawson closed out her CSU career as an eight-time All-MW selection, two individual CSU records and holder of 63 wins.

Mia Axelmen, a junior, added two A-final swims of her own, placing eighth in the 200-yard free with a 1:48.79, later crushing that personal-best with a 1:47.82 leading off the 800-yard free relay.

Axelman secured a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard free with a time of 49.19, moving her into fifth for CSU times in the event.

Gabby Hall broke out, notching the sixth-best time at CSU in the 100-yard back after winning the C-final with a 54.27.

This young generation of Rams continues to assert their presence, chasing down veterans’ top times without hesitation. That was demonstrated by the day-one breakout performance from Margo Hauser, who was joined by veterans Axelman, Dawson and Whineray in the 800-yard freestyle relay.

While swimming is often measured in individual seconds, championships also rely on trusting teammates to deliver results. The Rams finished in the top seven in all five relays, setting three program records in the 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 free relay.

One the opening day alone, 12 Rams had already posted season-best times in 12 of the 20 events.

Once the waves settled, 12 more Rams recorded 43 personal-best times, while eight recorded 18 season-best performances. Of those performances, 14 athletes etched their names into the CSU’s all-time top times list during the championship.

Senior Claire Wright, who joined the team as a walk-on her first-year, now ranks No. 2 in program history in the 200-yard breast after a 2:13.58 swim.

On the diving side, first-year Sydney Ovesen has had an impressive debut season, writing her name down in the top-5 in the 1-meter and top-10 in the 3-meter. Overseen recorded an eighth-place finish in the 3-meter dive with a 251.65.

Another first-year made her appearance in the scoring group, Julianna Dodd placed 20th in the 3-meter diving event, signaling a promising start for CSU’s young diving group.

Sophomore Riley Lee, senior Maggie Di Scipio also contributed finding their way into the top-15 for the diving events. Lee finished 15th in women’s 1-meter with a 229.60, and Di Scipio followed with a 14th-place finish in the 3-meter dive with a 258.25.

Di Scipio, Lee and Dodd secured a seventh-place finish in the team diving event, contributing an additional 46 points to the score.

CSU concluded the championship in eighth-place with 695.5 points. The Rams now look ahead to the Pac-12 next season, aiming to build on their finalist performance.

Prior to the championship, head coach Christopher Woodard emphasized the focus would remain on individual success over team placement; that mentality led to record-book performances and Whineray’s historic NCAA berth.

Now, Whineray will represent the Green and Gold on the national stage, showing what is possible for the program moving forward.

Finalists

A Final

500 free – Dawson, 4:51.61, 6th

400 IM – Dawson, 4.12.24, 3rd

200 free – Axelman, 1:48.79, 8th

100 back – Whineray, 51.73, 2nd

200 back – Whineray, 1:52.82, 1st

100 free – Axelman, 49.19, 5th

3-meter diving – Ovesen, 251.65, 8th

Team diving – 241.65, 7th

Relays

200 Free Relay – 1.30.47, 4th

200 Medley Relay – 1:38.54, 4th

400 Free Relay – 3:18.83, 5th

400 Medley Relay – 3:37.65, 6th

800 Free Relay – 7:18.85 46, 7th

Reach Abigail Wood at sports@collegian.com or on social media @Abigaiil_Wood.

Interested in more sports content? Sign up for Ram Report here for weekly CSU sports updates.

About the Contributor

Cait Mckinzie, Photo Director

Cait Mckinzie is a third-year student double majoring in art and journalism and media communication. She is the returning photo director for the 2025-26 school year. As an out-of-state student from Renton, Washington, there wasn’t much in Fort Collins Mckinzie was familiar with when she first started at Colorado State University. But in high school, she was the co-head of visuals for her school newspaper, so she applied to The Collegian as a photographer during her first year to get back into a similar environment. At the end of her year as a freelancer, she was trained by Milo Gladstein and Garrett Mogel, her photo directors, to take over Gladstein’s position when he graduated. She attributes most of her photojournalistic experience — and some of her sense of humor — to them. Most of Mckinzie’s photography experience, though, comes from her grandfather. A photographer for most of his life, he gifted Mckinzie her first camera in her junior year of high school and taught her how to use it. With his guidance, she improved her skills during high school enough to get her to The Collegian, a paper that now takes up a large amount of her time. Mckinzie is excited for another year at The Collegian and aims to make her photo desk one Gladstein and Mogel would be proud of.

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CSU swim and dive sends qualifier to NCAA, finishes 8th at MW

Finalists

A Final

Relays

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