Swim & Dive: Cowgirls Victorious, Cowboys Fall Short at Colorado Mesa

LARAMIE, Wyo. (10/26/24) – The University of Wyoming swimming and diving team faced Colorado Mesa on Saturday. The Cowgirls emerged victorious over the Mavericks with a final score of 185-115, while the Cowboys fell short 97-203.

The Cowgirls came focused and prepared to take care of business against the NCAA DII ranked Mavericks, turning in numerous first place performances.

“Our women really stepped up and raced with a lot of passion,” head coach Dave Denniston said. “Macey remains undefeated in the distance events and freshman Abby Bruss had a great breakout swim in the 200 butterfly! Brynlee’s 100 breaststroke swim really ignited a fire within the women and Tara Joyce swam brilliantly as always.”

Freshman sensation Macey Hansen has been on a roll as of late, as she once again crushed her 1000-yard freestyle going 10:13.07 for first place. Hansen was a whopping 16 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. She also took first place in the 500-yard freestyle as well, having swam a 5:01.59.

Tara Joyce also took first-place in numerous events. Joyce went 51.64 in the 100-yard freestyle and 1:50.92 in the 200-yard freestyle. She was also the anchor of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay team with a time of 3:26.96.

Senior Brynlee Busskohl dominated the breaststroke events, taking first in both the 100 and 200, with times of 1:02.97 and 2:18.37 respectively.

Heidi Billings swam a 2:04.28 in the 200-yard backstroke, which resulted in a first-place finish.

Freshman Abigail Bruss also took first in the 200-yard butterfly after swimming a 2:06.03.

In the 50-yard freestyle, Veronika Ozimek came in first with a 24.12. Ozimek was also a member of the winning 400-yard freestyle team along with Joyce.

The Cowgirls also turned in a pair of first-place performances off the diving boards. Natalie Six took first on the 1-meter board with a score of 267.00. Alicia Gonzalez took first on the 3-meter board with a 308.03.

The Cowboys put in some solid performances of their own, but ultimately fell short against the Mavericks. Senior Gavin Smith and sophomore Andrew Ravegum led the charge for the Cowboys, turning in a pair of first-place performances each.

Smith took first in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly, going 1:40.39 and 49.19 respectively. Ravegum swept the breaststroke events, having come in first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a 56.20 and in the 200-yard breaststroke where he swam a 2:04.17.

Denniston said, “Gavin and Drew both had great days winning all their individual events and overall, I think this meet was a great tune-up as we prepare for Air Force this Saturday.

Next up, the Cowgirls will head to Greeley, Colorado, to face off against Front Range foe Northern Colorado on Friday, November 1 at 3 p.m. Wyoming then has a quick turnaround as both the men and women host Air Force, a Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference opponent, at Laramie High School starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 2.