Bears Open 2026 With Strong Showing at Air Force Dual

Friday, January 9

USAF Academy, Colo.

5 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

121

175

Air Force

Photo by: Lexie Martin

1/9/2026 8:48:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. — The University of Northern Colorado women's swimming & diving team opened the 2026 calendar Friday evening with a competitive dual at the U.S. Air Force Academy Natatorium, finishing second with 121 points against Air Force's 175 in the first dual meet of the new year.

Northern Colorado turned in several event wins and podium finishes throughout the night, led by standout distance performances from Kyra Rabess. Rabess opened the meet by dominating the 1000 freestyle, touching first in 10:37.61, before later adding another victory in the 500 free with a time of 5:11.44. She also anchored the Bears' second-place 200 free relay to close the meet, helping UNC finish just .14 seconds behind the Falcons' top quartet.

The Bears earned an early boost in the opening relay, as the 400 medley relay team of Ariane Bernier, Maria Erokhina, Avi Tromp, and Alexis Mishler finished fourth overall to get UNC on the board. Erokhina followed strong, winning both the 100 breast (1:03.04) and the 200 breast (2:18.27), while also placing in the 100 fly later in the meet.

UNC picked up additional individual wins from Hlaa Diab, who captured first place in the 400 IM with 4:37.50, and added a runner-up finish earlier in the 200 fly. Agathi Manoli joined Diab atop the podium as well, finishing second in multiple butterfly and IM events while contributing key points in the team standings.

In the sprint events, the Bears showed depth and consistency. Alexis Mishler and Vitoria Simioni finished second and third, respectively, in the 50 free, with Simioni adding a runner-up finish in the 100 free. Linnea Haan posted a pair of top-three finishes in the backstroke races, placing third in the 100 back and second in the 200 back.

Northern Colorado closed the night strong in the 200 free relay, with Mishler, Simioni, Tromp, and Rabess combining for a 1:36.15 to secure second place and cap a strong opening dual to the 2026 season.

UP NEXT: The Bears will return to Butler-Hancock Pool on Friday, January 23 against Washington State. The dual will begin at 4 p.m. MST.

FOLLOW THE BEARS: For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the women's swim and dive team on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNC_BearsSwim), Instagram (@UNC_BearsSwim_Dive), and Facebook (/UNCOBearsswimdive).