Aqua Bears swim well but lose dual at Colorado State

By HEATHER KENNEDY
UNCBears.com

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – In a rare mid-week dual, the Northern Colorado Swimming & Diving team lost to Colorado State, 145-98.

"Tonight is bittersweet," Head Coach Kelly McClanahan said. "On one hand we swam great, while on the other hand we lost. Going in, we knew this was going to be a close meet. We knew CSU was coming for us with their best and it would be a battle for every point. We just got too far down to catch-up there at the end."

Junior Gina Riggle (Eaton, Colo.) won the 50 free in a time of 24.63, while sophomore Jessica Reed-Baum (Loveland, Colo.) was third in 25.30. Riggle also won the 200 breaststroke in 2:23.59, marking the second-straight meet she's won two events.

Junior transfer Kylie Rathbone (Lakewood, Colo.) was also victorious, winning the 100 free in 53.71.

In the 500 free, sophomore Gina Cernohous (Andover, Kan.) won the race with a time of 5:16.51.

The quartet of junior Courtney Van Oost (Elgin, Ill.), Riggle, freshman Jenny LaPorte (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Rathbone finished second in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:47.82.

Senior Tatum Boehnke (Carson City, Nev.) continued her strong final campaign, placing second in the 1000 free after touching the wall in 10:45.97.

Freshman Erika Etz (Corona, Calif.) was also second in the 200 free, timing a 1:57.19, losing by just 0.12. Van Oost was third in 1:57.31 and sophomore Kellie Burke (Carlsbad, Calif.) was fourth in 1:57.84.

The 200 free relay team of junior Kira Alger (Monument, Colo.), Reed-Baum, LaPorte and Rathbone was just 0.1 off the lead, finishing second in 1:39.31.

Senior Sara Moldenhauer (Colorado Springs) finished second on the three-meter board after scoring 276.60 points, while she was third on the one-meter board after totaling 245.58 points. Freshman Kelsey Smith (Temecula, Calif.) was fifth on both boards.

"These girls gave it their absolute best, and the majority put up dual meet best times," McClanahan said. "I am very proud of them. The girls are disappointed, as am I, because this win would have meant so much more than just a W. Now we shift our focus to Omaha to close out the regular season. I know the girls will turn it around for Saturday."

Northern Colorado returns to Omaha on Saturday to finish up the regular season with a dual against Nebraska-Omaha, starting at 2 pm (Mountain).