University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Omaha Diving Invite
UNI swimmers capture six title at the Coyote Invite
2/1/2025 9:14:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Panthers put on strong showing in Sioux Falls and Omaha in final meets before conference championships.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — With just a few short weeks to go until the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships, the UNI swimming and diving team showed out in its final two meets of the regular season this weekend, capturing six event titles at the Coyote Invite, while also putting on a strong showing at the Omaha Diving Invite.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers' swimming competition kicked off on Friday night as the 200-yard free relay team of Abby Lear, Morgan Meyer, Hannah Nedder and Elyse Brayton placed second (1:36.06), with the quartet of Faith Larsen, Waren Graeve, Natalie Harris and Ema Lavigne earning fourth (1:36.54).
Olivia Chambers grabbed second place in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:06.62 as Nikki Walters followed closely behind in fifth (2:09.83). Two-time defending MVC champion Larsen would come out on top in the 50-yard freestyle with a winning time of 23.67, while Lear captured third (24.02).
Day two of action at the Midco Aquatic Center saw Brayton, Lavigne, Larsen and Meyer take second in the 200-yard medley relay (1:45.92) as Lear, Jenna Breitbach, Nedder and Graeve finished fourth (1:48.01). Walters picked up the second win of the weekend for Northern Iowa in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 56.91, while Abby Steward claimed third (58.10) and Lavigne fifth (58.51).
Chambers and Harris dominated in the 200-yard freestyle, capturing the top two spots on the podium with times of 1:53.70 and 1:53.75, as Larsen clinched second place in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.03. Brayton took second in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.80, with Steward following in third at 57.97 and Lear in fifth (58.31).
Larsen came out on top in the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 57.52 seconds, followed by Lavigne close behind in second (57.84). Chambers and Pallett fourth earned fifth places respectively with times of 59.68 and 1:00.00, as Meyer took the top prize in the 200-yard backstroke with a winning time of 2:04.62. Rolow and McCorkle followed in seventh (2:09.90) and eighth place (2:10.31).
Walters found her way back to the top of the podium in the 200-yard backstroke with a winning time of 2:26.44 as Aspen Cole placed fifth in the event (2:29.13). In the 100-yard freestyle, Harris placed fourth with a time of 53.84, while Sam Oeltjen took fourth place in the 200-yard butterfly (2:11.62) to close out the night.
Down at the H&K Pool in Omaha, diving competition began for the Panthers on the one-meter boards on Friday night with Erica Peters placing second with a score of 251.55, followed by Avery Hogan in fourth (239.60), Trista Thompson in sixth (232.60) and Abby Hutchins in eighth (224.05). In the three-meter competition on Saturday afternoon, Hogan took second place after scoring a 259.20. Peters followed Hogan in fourth (257.15) with Hannah Taylor earning sixth place (248.60).
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action as they host the 2025 MVC Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 26 through March 1 at the Waukee CSD Natatorium in Waukee, Iowa.
UNI swimming and diving action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Swimming and Diving), X (@uniswimdive) and on Instagram (@uniswimdive). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Players Mentioned
