UNK Sitting in Fifth Place
Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney women’s swimming and diving team sits in fifth place after two nights of the 2023 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships in Grand Junction, Colo.
The five-day event got underway Tuesday night with the 800-free relay and some time trials. UNK picked up 34 points on day one and then 36 points on Tuesday. Today’s events included the 50 and 1,000-freestyles, 200 individual medley, 200-medley relay and men’s 3-meter diving.
Eight women’s and five men’s squads are competing with host Colorado Mesa (334) having a sizeable lead over Colorado School of Mines (182) in the women’s race. UNK is ahead of Texas-Permian Basin, Colorado State-Pueblo and Adams State while being behind Western Colorado (122).
The 200-medley relay team of freshman Gabby Grace (Topeka), junior Emily Miksch (Columbus Scotus), senior Audrey Stelling (Norfolk) and freshman Maggie Waddington (Norfolk) set a new school-record by turning in a 1:48.67. That was good for fifth place, 28 team points and bests the mark of 1:49.82 set at this meet last February. That foursome included Stelling (lead) and Miksch (second leg) as well.
UNK tallied eight more points here as the “B” team finished 13th (1:55.06). That group was made up of freshman Reese True (Kansas City, Mo.), sophomore Karley Bennett (Centennial, Colo.), freshman Barrett Lee (Gardnerville, Nev.) and senior Ava Heasty (Lincoln Pius).
On Tuesday to start the long week, UNK’s “A” 800-free relay team managed an altitude-converted 8:03.90 to be sixth overall (26 points). Waddington and Heasty made up the first two legs and were followed by freshman Caralea Holmberg (Broomfield, Colo.) and freshman Joy Graziano (Centennial, Colo.). The time is just two seconds shy of the Aqualoper standard.
In individual events Wednesday, freshman Miriam Finch (Stillwater, Okla.) was 17th in the 1,000-free with an altitude-converted 11:28.01. That moved into eighth place on the UNK all-time list. Next, North Dakota freshman Olivia Johnson (20th/11:59.22) and Texas freshman Maggie Wells (21st/12:02.33) in the Top 25. Finally, Holmberg was 19th in the 200 I.M.( 2:14.11) with Bennett three spots back (2:15.52) and Colorado freshman Joy Graziano 20th in the 50-free (24.87). That is a season-best for Holmberg and she remains in fourth place in the record books with Bennett now ranking sixth.
Action resumes Thursday at 10 a.m. Central with the events being the 100-buttefly, 400 I.M., 200 free, women’s 1-meter and the 400-medley relay.
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