Conference Swimming Rolls on at Utah Tech

NM State continues WAC slate with road dual meet versus Trailblazers.

Source: NMSU Athletics
By Matthew Knope
Photo: Courtesy

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Aggie Swimming returns to the pool on Thursday, Dec. 19, in the Beehive State. In its fourth WAC meet of the season, NM State will head to Utah Tech for a dual against the Trailblazers. The Crimson & White are currently 2-1 in conference action, slated for their first action since the Phill Hansel Invitational in Houston on Nov. 20-22.

While in the Bayou City, the Aggies finished sixth, ahead of New Mexico and San Jose State. Houston, Rice, Air Force, Nevada and Florida Gulf Coast rounded out the competition, with the hosting Cougars taking the meet victory.

Now, the Aggies turn to Utah Tech for a single-day clash in St. George. The matchup will be the first-ever dual meet between the Aggies and Trailblazers in program history.

MEET SIX
NM State (5-1) at Utah Tech
Thursday, Dec. 18 | Events begin at 4 p.m. MT
Human Performance Center Natatorium (341) | St. George, Utah

LAST TIME OUT | NM State 607.5 points (6^th/8 – Phill Hansell Invitational)

On the opening day of the meet, the Aggies were led by a record-setting performance by Katie Rink who posted a program record in the 500 free while placing second with an NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 4:46.66. In the same event, the Aggies’ Naomi Slee also qualified for the A final and logged a sixth-place finish in a field of 40 competitors – posting a time of 4:48.51.
For NM State, the day began with a fifth-place finish in the 200 free relay as the quartet of Emily Dobbins, Dijana Mazumdar, Kira Brownell and Katie Rink turned in a time of 1:32.13. This was also good for the Aggies’ fastest time this season.
NM State would then log another top-8 time in the 400 medley relay as the team of Emily Dobbins, Kodi Wiman, Faye McDonagh and Dijana Mazumdar finished seventh with a time of 3:46.12 – a time that would be two seconds quicker than rival New Mexico in what was the final event of the day.
Later, Emily Dobbins would secure a spot in the A final of the 50 free where she would ultimately record a time of 22.95 to finish fifth among a field of 40 talented swimmers.
To open day two, the Aggies secured two spots among the top 16 in the 100 butterfly as Faye McDonagh posted a 55.82 to finish 14^th while Emma Bacon came in just one spot behind McDonagh with a time of 56.14.
Estel Galo also managed to swim her way into the B final of the 400 IM as she would eventually place 14^th with a time of 4:25.69.
NM State’s best showing came in the following event as Katie Rink posted a time of 1:48.77 in the 200 free to place fourth in a field of 40 competitors. Additionally, fellow junior Naomi Slee submitted a time of 1:49.30 to come in fifth place.
Like they did in the 100 fly, the Aggies logged a pair of top-16 finishes in the 100 back as Emily Dobbins’ time of 55.62 was good for 14^th in the event while Kira Brownell’s time of 56.67 secured a 16^th-place finish.
The Aggies also had a good performance in the 800 free relay as the team of Katie Rink, Naomi Slee, Dijana Mazumdar and Lina Khiyara joined forces to place fourth with a time of 7:24.24.
Katie Rink and Estel Galo opened the final day with a pair of strong performances in the 1650 freestyle as Rink placed seventh with a time of 16:51.61 and Galo placed eighth with a time of 16:54.82.
Later, Dijana Mazumdar turned in a solid performance in the 100 free as she won the B final with a time of 50.29.
In the following event, Kodi Wiman tallied an 11^th-place finish in the 200 breast with a time of 2:18.05 while Foteini Charitou secured 15^th with a time of 2:19.04.
NM State closed out the day on a high note with a fifth-place finish in the 400 free relay as the team of Emily Dobbins, Dijana Mazumdar, Lina Khiyara and Katie Rink combined to post a time of 3:23.43.

QUOTABLE | HEAD COACH RICK PRATT
“It’s been a busy semester and classes over the next month are critical for our success finishing the season. We’ve faced many challenges and have been performing well along this way. It has been a beautiful day traveling up to St. George and we’ll have to remain focused and energized to be successful. Racing in this setting gives us many opportunities, and we’ll have to take advantage of them all.”

After battling the Trailblazers, NM State will not return to action until Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. Pratt will lead the Aggies into a home clash with WAC foe Grand Canyon. The action against the Antelopes is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. MT from the NM State Swimming and Diving Complex.

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