LAS VEGAS – The University of Denver men's and women's swimming and diving teams completed a weekend of two double duals apiece in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon at Buchanan Natatorium. DU's men capped off a perfect weekend with dual victories over UNLV and UC Santa Barbara, while the women lost two duals by a combined 24 points on the afternoon.
Neil Wachtler led the Pioneers with four event wins on Saturday, increasing his total on the weekend to six.
Team Scores
Men's Scores
Denver 194, UNLV 94
UCSB 168, UNLV 112
Denver 150, UCSB 130
Women's Scores
UNLV 161, Denver 137
UNLV 171, UCSB 122
UCSB 140.5, Denver 139.5
Denver's women opened the meet with another relay victory, taking the 200 medley relay when
Annelyse Tullier, Brandi Vu, Josie Valette and
Lauren Moden turned in a time of 1:43.49. The Pioneer women's victory is their fourth in the 200 medley relay this season and their seventh in medley relays overall.
Following Friday night's script, Denver's men also won the medley relay as Wachtler
, Cy Jager, Peter Webster and
Cameron Auchinachie combined for a 1:29.97. Saturday's win in the medley relay is their fifth this season, including their third in the 200.
The Denver distance duo of
Colin Gilbert and
Jesse Haraden earned podium finishes in the 1000 free on Saturday morning, clocking in at 9:27.96 and 9:35.24, respectively, to finish second and third in the event.
A couple of events later,
Hugo Sykes took second in 1:40.42 in the 200 free to earn a spot on the podium for the Pioneers.
Heidi Bradley got the Denver women back on the podium, reaching the wall in third in the 100 back with a time of 56.71.
Wachtler got back in the water for his second event win of the day, getting to the wall first in the 100 back with a time of 49.23. The victory is his third in the 100 back this season.
Denver's women placed four in the top-six in the ninth event of the day to keep the double dual close after the 100 breast. Vu led a Denver quartet with a second place finish in 1:04.04, while
Charlotte Simon took fourth (1:05.71),
Ally Yancy finished fifth (1:06.65) and
Courtney Laird reached the wall in sixth (1:07.22).
Adriel Sanes represented Denver on the podium in the men's 100 breast, clocking in at 57.22 to take third.
DU's women put three swimmers in the top five of the 200 fly.
Kylie Cronin led the trio with a second place finish (2:03.87),
McKayla Sanchez took fourth (2:06.57) and Valette took fifth (2:06.64).
Kyle Ewoldt got Denver back in the win column on Saturday afternoon with a 1:51.56 in the 200 fly. Teammate
David Mihalic finished fourth to earn Denver additional points in the race after a 1:52.40. Ewoldt's win was his second in the 200 fly this year.
Auchinachie and
Jackson Gainer grabbed second and fourth place finishes in the 50 free to increase Denver's lead with times of 20.29 and 21.04, respectively.
Moden put the Denver women back on the podium with a third place finish in the 100 free, timed at 52.01. Teammate
Sarah Lingen was right behind her in fourth with a time of 52.34.
Auchinachie and Sykes finished 2-3 in the men's 100 free, recording times of 44.27 and 45.49, respectively.
Bradley continued her backstroke success in her senior season, taking second in a competitive 200 with a time of 2:02.88.
Wachtler's third event win of the afternoon came in the men's 200 back after his 1:49.34.
Patrick Groters also got a spot on the podium in the backstroke event, reaching the wall in third after his 1:51.03. Wachtler now has five backstroke event wins this season, including a pair in the 200.
Simon recorded Denver's first women's individual event win of the day in the 200 breast, taking the race by just less than a tenth of a second after her 2:18.94. The Denver sophomore became the third different Pioneer swimmer to take a 200 breast event title this season.
Sanes finished on the podium on the men's side with a third place finish in the 200 breast, timed at 2:04.81.
In the second distance race of the afternoon, Tullier swam the 500 free in 5:02.93 to finish third. Gilbert earned a podium finish in the men's race, taking third with a time of 4:34.19.
Denver's women earned two podium finishes in the women's 100 fly as Cronin finished second (56.10) and Valette reached the wall in third (56.35).
Sanes had a quick turnaround to swim in the men's 100 fly, and got Denver's men its fourth individual event win of the day in the race with a 49.58. The win is Sanes' second in the 100 fly this season.
Uma Knaven reached the podium in the 400 IM in the final women's individual event of the day, touching the final wall in second at 2:29.42.
Mihalic earned the third IM win of his rookie season and his second in the 400, out-swimming the rest of the field with his 3:58.11.
Denver's men capped off the second double dual in as many days with a win in the 400 free relay as the quartet of Auchinachie, Sykes, Wachtler and Groters combined for a 2:59.17. The victory is Denver's third in the 400 free relay this season and their fifth in a freestyle relay in 2018-19.
At the UCLA Diving Invite,
Alex Morgan took 15th in the 3-meter men's event.
Saturday Night's Event Wins
Women's 200 Medley Relay – Tullier, Vu, Valette, Moden – 1:43.49
Men's 200 Medley Relay – Wachtler, Jager, Webster, Auchinachie – 1:29.97
Men's 100 Backstroke –
Neil Wachtler – 49.23
Men's 200 Butterfly –
Kyle Ewoldt – 1:51.56
Men's 200 Backstroke –
Neil Wachtler – 1:49.34
Women's 200 Breaststroke –
Charlotte Simon – 2:18.94
Men's 100 Fly –
Adriel Sanes – 49.58
Men's 400 IM –
David Mihalic – 3:58.11
Men's 400 Free Relay – Auchinachie, Sykes, Wachtler, Groters – 2:59.17.
UP NEXT: Denver will be back in action next weekend when they head to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech in a two-day dual.
Fans interested in making a donation to the men's and women's swimming and diving programs can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.
-Pioneer Together-
Like DU Swimming & Diving on Facebook
Follow DU Swimming & Diving on Twitter at @DU_SwimDive
