Denver Swimming and Diving Wraps Up Day 1 of Front Range Invite

Photo by: C. Morgan Engel/Clarkson Creative Photography

Denver Swimming and Diving Wraps Up Day 1 of Front Range Invite

10/2/2026 9:03:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Samantha Synsvoll and Viktor Hristov earn wins on opening night of competition

By: Niko Blankenship

DENVER – The University of Denver men's and women's swimming and diving programs began the 2026-27 season with the opening night of the Front Range Invite in both Fort Collins (swimming) and Colorado Springs (diving) on Friday night.

Standings:
Men's:
Wyoming 554
Air Force 468
Denver 435

Women's:
Wyoming 440.5
Air Force 367.5
Colorado State 302
Northern Colorado 300
Denver 240

Event Winners:
Women's 200 IM – Samantha Synsvoll – 2:05.85
Men's 200 Fly – Viktor Hristov – 1:53.49

How it Happened:
Denver's men opened its meet with a second-place finish in the 400 medley relay when the quartet of Quinn Collins, Kito Campbell, Hamish McLellan and Viktor Hristov clocked in at 3:19.92 in their first event of the year.

In the first individual event of the season, Sabrina Rachjaibun earned a spot on the podium in the five-team event with her time of 5:06.46 in the 500 free, good enough for third place. On the men's side, Finn Holdredge swam third in 4:40.08 and Pierce Bickerton finished fifth in 4:43.55.

Samantha Synsvoll earned Denver's first win of the season, picking right back up where she left off after an impressive freshman season with a time of 2:05.85 in the 200 IM. Lilly Zippel took fifth with a time of 2:08.77.

Nico Morton turned in the men's best finish in the first half of the opening night with his second-place result in the men's 200 IM, clocking in at 1:52.48.

McLellan swam the first men's sprint of the year in 21.10 to take fourth in the 50 free. Teammates Hristov and Benjamin Stone were right behind McLellan with times of 21.16 and 21.46, respectively.

Synsvoll followed up her win in the 200 IM with a fourth-place finish in the women's 200 back, reaching the final wall in 2:05.01. In the men's 200 back, Collins grabbed fourth in 1:54.80 and Kurt Owens finished sixth in 1:56.45.

McLellan found the middle spot on the podium in the men's 100 free with his time of 45.74. Jack Andrew took fifth in 47.17 to add points to the Pioneers tally.

In Morton's stroke-specific event on Friday night, he finished second in the 200 breast, getting to the wall in 2:06.54.

Hristov gave the Denver men its first win of the season in the men's 200 fly, clocking in at 1:53.49 to take the top spot by nearly two-tenths.

Denver's women wrapped up the swimming portion of its Friday with a 1:35.29 in the women's 200 free relay to take third in the five-team race. Julia Saxman, Synsvoll, Tenaya Winter and Isa Cardenas swam the event for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers men earned another second-place relay finish with a 1:23.30 in the 200 free. McLellan, Stone, Talen Palmateer and Hristov swam for Denver in the final heat of the night.

UP NEXT:
The Front Range Invite will wrap-up tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. MT in both Fort Collins (swimming) and Colorado Springs (diving).

Saturday, October 3
Diving (USAFA, Colorado): 11 a.m. MT
Swimming (Fort Collins, Colorado): 11 a.m. MT
200 Med Relay
Platform Diving
400 IM
100 Fly
200 Free
100 Breast
100 Back
1650 Free
400 Free Relay

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