University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Coyote Invite
Panther swimming & diving wraps regular season with strong performances in Sioux Falls, Omaha
2/3/2024 10:10:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. --- UNI swim and dive found success in its final weekend of competition ahead of this month's conference championship meet, winning seven events at South Dakota's Coyote Invite, and sweeping all three women's events at the Omaha Diving Invite.
The Panthers kicked off the two-day Coyote Invite right off the bat with a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle as Faith Larsen, Morgan Meyer, Clare Christensen and Waren Graeve clocked a time of 1:35.15 to begin the weekend. Nikki Walters placed eighth in the 500-yard freestyle (5:17.61), while Larsen, the defending Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) champion in the 50-yard freestyle, took home first-place honors in the event with a winning time of 24.15 seconds. Amber Finke and Abby Lear both tied in the 50-yard freestyle (24.15).
In Saturday's competition, Finke and Larsen joined forces with Hannah Needer and Ema Lavigne to win the 200-yard medley relay in 1:45.98. Scout Bergwall placed fifth in the 100-yard butterfly (58.75), as Walters notched her second top-eight individual finish of the meet in the 400-yard individual medley with a third-place result (4:46.28). Olivia Chambers (1:53.83) and Finke (1:54.27) placed second and third in the 200-yard freestyle, while Sydney Aird was crowned the 100-yard breaststroke champion after recording a time of 1:05.58. Lear also clinched the 100-yard backstroke title in 57.85 seconds, with Bergwall coming in a close second (58.03).
Lavigne opened Saturday's final session by placing fourth in the 100-yard individual medley (59.92). Bergwall clinched the 200-yard backstroke title in 2:05.57, while Meyer took home gold in the 100-yard freestyle, narrowly edging out South Dakota's Emily Kahn by 0.05 seconds. Christensen closed out the meet in Sioux Falls with a fifth-place performance in the 200-yard butterfly (2:11.71).
Down in Omaha, Erica Peters set the tone for Northern Iowa on Friday evening, winning the one-meter springboard competition with a score of 255.10. Trista Thompson placed fifth (234.90) with Abby Hutchins finishing sixth (234.20). Peters again topped the podium on Saturday's three-meter competition with a winning score of 250.15, edging out Omaha's Isabella Price by 2.85 points. Avery Hogan took fourth-place on the three-meter boards (228.95), as Hannah Taylor placed seventh (218.15). UNI also claimed the top two spots in the team diving competition, besting Omaha's team by just over 18 points.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action February 21-24 at the 2024 MVC Championships, hosted by the University of Evansville at the Deaconess Aquatic Center.
Players Mentioned
