MIAMI – The University of Denver men's and women's swimming and diving programs competed in the 2024 CSCAA Open Water 5K Championships on Sunday in Biscayne Bay.
Denver's men finished second in the 11-team field on Sunday which included finishing ahead of two Power-4 programs. The Pioneer women combined for a seventh-place finish in a 19-team field, also finishing ahead of two Power-4 schools.
Among the Division I athletes competing on Sunday,
Connor Hughes led the Pioneers with a fourth-place finish, completing the race in 1:01:16.68.
Joseph Hancock finished seventh in 1:01:20.63 to round out the Pioneer men in the top-10.
Will Melsha took 12
th in 1:03:53.23,
Joseph Purdy finished 18
th in 1:03:53.23 and
Kieran Watson finished 23
rd in the 61-swimmer field with a 1:04:36.61.
On the Pioneer women's side,
Daniela Alfaro led Denver in the 90-swimmer field with a 20
th-place finish, clocking in at 1:03:56.29.
Paige Reilly took 23
rd in 1:04:30.10 and
Sabrina Rachjaibun rounded out the Pioneers in the top half with a time of 1:05:02.92 to take 32nd.
Kiki Lindsay and
Genevieve Franklin swam the event in 1:07:23.59 and 1:11:25.83, respectively.
The event is an approved qualifying event by USA Swimming with the top five finishes in each gender earning invites to the USA Swimming 5K Open Water Championships. Hughes finished seventh in the overall men's field, just two spots out of the qualification.
UP NEXT: Denver will close out its Florida training trip before being done for the calendar year. The Pioneers will resume their schedule on Friday, January 3, in a dual with the Colorado School of Mines. That meet will serve as the Pioneers Senior Day. Diving will begin at 12 p.m., senior recognition at 2:40 p.m. and swimming at 3 p.m. MT.
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