University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, October 17
Woodland, Calif.
10 a.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
at
MPSF Open Water Championships
Photo by: Kim Spurny, UNC Athletics
Bears Head to Long Beach for MPSF Open Water Championship
10/16/2026 9:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado travels to Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday for the MPSF Open Water Swimming Championship at Marine Stadium, the fourth edition of the conference's open water title meet.
Kyra Rabess, Emma On-the-Hill, Ellyson Lombardi and Audrey Varet will represent the Bears.
The women's 5-kilometer race begins at 10:30 a.m. PT, with the 2,000-meter relay to follow at 2:15 p.m. PT. Relays consist of four competitors per team, each swimming 500 meters.
The Field
Sixteen schools from seven states are scheduled to compete: Augustana (IL), Biola, BYU, Cal Baptist, Chapman, Grand Canyon, Idaho, Northern Colorado, Puget Sound, Quincy, San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, USC, Washington State, Westmont and Whittier. Puget Sound and USC are first-time participants.
What's at Stake
Team scoring combines results from the 5K and relay events, with each institution's top three individuals and top relay team contributing to the team score.
The top three collegiate finishers in the women's 5K automatically qualify for the 5K USA Swimming Open Water National Championship as well as the CSCAA Nationals in December.
Strong in Open Water
The Bears opened their open water season at the Horsetooth Open Water Swim on Sept. 13, where Northern Colorado placed all 18 of its swimmers in the top 60 against Colorado State, Air Force and Colorado School of Mines.
Rabess won the women's title and finished fourth overall in 52:07, covering the course at 2.8 mph. On-The-Hill was right behind her, taking fourth among women and eighth overall in 52:29, and Varet placed sixth among women and 19th overall in 52:54,
giving the Bears three of the top six female finishers.
Lombardi finished 10th among women in 55:44 and enters Saturday as the reigning MPSF Swimmer of the Week after sweeping the butterfly events at the Front Range Invite earlier this month.
Marine Stadium
The venue hosted the Pan-Pacific 10K races this past summer and will serve as the host for rowing and sprint canoe at the 2028 Olympic Games. Long Beach will also host open water swimming, water polo and sailing events in the 34th Olympiad.
Live stream coverage will be provided by Game On Live Studio through a pay-per-view option on the GOLS MPSF Championship event page.
SWOMEN CLUB
The Swomen Club plays a vital role in the success of UNC Swimming & Diving, providing elite training gear, enhanced nutrition and championship-level travel opportunities. These investments directly support our student-athletes and ensure the Bears are equipped to perform at the highest level.
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 (@UNC_BearsSwim), Instagram (@UNC_BearsSwim_Dive), and Facebook (/UNCOBearsswimdive).
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Kyra Rabess, Emma On-the-Hill, Ellyson Lombardi and Audrey Varet will represent the Bears.
The women's 5-kilometer race begins at 10:30 a.m. PT, with the 2,000-meter relay to follow at 2:15 p.m. PT. Relays consist of four competitors per team, each swimming 500 meters.
The Field
Sixteen schools from seven states are scheduled to compete: Augustana (IL), Biola, BYU, Cal Baptist, Chapman, Grand Canyon, Idaho, Northern Colorado, Puget Sound, Quincy, San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, USC, Washington State, Westmont and Whittier. Puget Sound and USC are first-time participants.
What's at Stake
Team scoring combines results from the 5K and relay events, with each institution's top three individuals and top relay team contributing to the team score.
The top three collegiate finishers in the women's 5K automatically qualify for the 5K USA Swimming Open Water National Championship as well as the CSCAA Nationals in December.
Strong in Open Water
The Bears opened their open water season at the Horsetooth Open Water Swim on Sept. 13, where Northern Colorado placed all 18 of its swimmers in the top 60 against Colorado State, Air Force and Colorado School of Mines.
Rabess won the women's title and finished fourth overall in 52:07, covering the course at 2.8 mph. On-The-Hill was right behind her, taking fourth among women and eighth overall in 52:29, and Varet placed sixth among women and 19th overall in 52:54,
giving the Bears three of the top six female finishers.
Lombardi finished 10th among women in 55:44 and enters Saturday as the reigning MPSF Swimmer of the Week after sweeping the butterfly events at the Front Range Invite earlier this month.
Marine Stadium
The venue hosted the Pan-Pacific 10K races this past summer and will serve as the host for rowing and sprint canoe at the 2028 Olympic Games. Long Beach will also host open water swimming, water polo and sailing events in the 34th Olympiad.
Live stream coverage will be provided by Game On Live Studio through a pay-per-view option on the GOLS MPSF Championship event page.
SWOMEN CLUB
The Swomen Club plays a vital role in the success of UNC Swimming & Diving, providing elite training gear, enhanced nutrition and championship-level travel opportunities. These investments directly support our student-athletes and ensure the Bears are equipped to perform at the highest level.
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 (@UNC_BearsSwim), Instagram (@UNC_BearsSwim_Dive), and Facebook (/UNCOBearsswimdive).
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
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