Cowgirls still second; Cowboys third in MWC swim and diving championships

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- The Wyoming Cowgirls continue to sit in second place, with the Cowboys in third after the second day of the Mountain West Conference Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday

BYU leads the women's field with 263 points, one point ahead of Wyoming. Following the Cowgirls are Utah (195.5), UNLV (187.5), Colorado State (151), San Diego State (129), TCU (129), New Mexico (124), and Air Force (48).

The Cowboys are third in the rankings with a score of 222. UW trails UNLV (295) and Air Force (243). Behind the Pokes is BYU (221), TCU (189), and Utah (123).

"All in all, it was a solid day for us, possibly one of the best days we have ever had here," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "I am very pleased with the women today, breaking five school records. The men have also started to climb back into it with their performances today."

The women’s 500 freestyle race was the highlight of the day for the Cowgirls. Senior Aimee Stinson broke her own school record with a time of 4 minutes, 50.33 seconds and finished second. Sophomore Stephanie Vint finished in third with a time of 4:50.52, the second best mark in school history. Kristen Flachbarth inished in 12th and her time of 4:57.10 is the fourth best at UW. Sophomore Lesley Young added points for the Cowgirls in the 200 IM by placing fifth. Young’s time of 2:03.05 is also a new school record.

Cassie Stelow swam a record-breaking time in the 50 freestyle. Stelow’s time of 22.93 was a fourth place finish and broke her previous record that she set last year and the MWC Championships. A pair of freshman also added points for the Cowgirls in the 50 freestyle. Kelsey Conci placed 12th (23.57) and Shelby Bull finished in 14th (23.72).

In the only relay of the day, the Cowgirls set their fourth school record of the day. Stelow, Bull, Vint, and Conci swam the 200 freestyle relay in 1:32.59 and finished fifth.

"The women’s 500 freestyle was impressive. Aimee and Stephanie were both under the old school record. Kristen Flachbarth was awesome in that event as well and picked up some points for us," said Johnson. "Lesley broke the school record twice, once in the prelims and then again in the finals in the 200 IM and I thought Caroline did very well too. Another great performance was Cassie in the 50 free. She is the only Cowgirl to ever swim that event in under 23 seconds."

For the Cowboys, day two started with a fourth-place finish for senior Matt Urich in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:27.05. Behind Urich was freshman Brett Henehan in 12th (4:29.24), and junior Sam Holmes in 14th (4:32.81). Freshman Marshall Dilworth swam the second best time in school history in the 200 IM. Dilworth hit the wall in 1:48.60 and finished fourth, while sophomore James Rigg was close behind in sixth with a time of 1:50.02, fourth best in UW history.

In the 50 freestyle, junior Tommy Gregory was 20.42 and placed seventh. In the preliminary round, Gregory had a personal best time of 20.40, which is now the second best in school history. The Cowboys 200 freestyle relay placed fifth after a time of 1:21.80.

"Matt was a stud in the 500 free today, he moved from eighth to fourth to really help us out. Marshall also did a tremendous job. For a freshman to nearly break the school record and win third place is a great accomplishment," Johnson said. "James moved into the top-five all that time in that event today and swam very well in the relay. Tommy had a nice prelim and final round to move his name into the record books too."

The Wyoming divers continued their MWC Championships as well and contributed greatly to the scores of the team. A day after winning the MWC three-meter championship, Stephanie Ortiz scored 289.20 points on the one-meter board and finished in second place. Emily Huth, who was second behind Ortiz on Wednesday, placed fourth with a score of 282.50, and Allie Smith was in fifth at 271.95.

The Cowboys had three divers in the top eight in the three-meter finals. Sophomore Mark Murdock led the way in third place with a score of 332.20, only four points behind first place. Fellow sophomore Kyle Bogner came in seventh with 302.75, while senior Tyler Miller placed eighth with 298.95.

"The divers battled hard all day and Mark nearly won the event on his last dive. They were great today like they have been all year," Johnson said. "We had an overall solid day and I am excited to see how tomorrow will turn on."

Action will continue on Friday at the Oklahoma City Community College Aquatics Center. On the schedule will be the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, women’s platform diving, and 400 medley relay. Preliminary rounds will begin at 9 a.m. and the finals will begin at 5 p.m.