Extra Lifetime Bests in Friday’s Finals Session

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. Western Colorado had a stellar morning Friday within the preliminaries session of the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships, then repeated a lot of these performances at night time in Day 4’s championship session because the Mountaineers put a stranglehold on fourth place within the workforce standings with only one extra day to go.

The prelims produced 9 lifetime greatest occasions of these swimmers who superior to the night time’s finals session. And regardless of these new profession numbers, the ultimate session produced six extra lifetime greatest occasions.

The Mountaineers earned essentially the most factors from a person occasion with the 100-yard backstroke heats as six swimmers mixed so as to add 56 factors to Western’s workforce complete.

In the C comfort closing, Sarah Krise popped her second lifetime better of the day, touching in a time of 58.99 seconds that positioned seventeenth total. Adessa Talbot (1:00.15) and Kylee Ruhser (1:01.03) added factors from their twenty first and twenty third place finishes.

In the B consols, Anna Jorstad posted a second profession greatest time of the day, putting ninth total with a brand new greatest time of 57.70. Lauryn Bingley (59.03) hit her second lifetime greatest together with her Fifteenth-place end, whereas Cate Coffield (59.48) positioned sixteenth with a time that was 11/100ths of a second off the lifetime greatest she swam within the prelims.

Another huge factors occasion for Western was the night time’s opening occasion, the five hundred freestyle, which scored 44 workforce factors.

The Mountaineers almost stuffed the C closing, with 5 swimmers in eight of the lanes.

Brionna Thomas (5:12.59) led the group with an 18th-place end, with Agnieszka Rudomina (5:13.50) putting one spot again and AvaMarie Hopewell (5:13.72) in twentieth place.

Capping off the warmth for Western have been Sophia Del Rosario (5:20.06) in twenty third and Sidney-Ann Morris (5:22.18) in twenty fourth place.

Two heats later, Morgan Nielsen dove into the championship warmth of the five hundred, putting seventh in a time of 5:07.35. Her prelims time of 5:07.04 had already surpassed the NCAA Division II provisional altitude adjusted time normal (5:08.89).

Another of the lifetime greatest swims within the session got here from Ella Fries within the 100 breaststroke. Swimming within the B comfort closing, Fries bettered the lifetime greatest from her prelims swim, registering a brand new lifetime better of 1:04.18 to put ninth total.

The Mountaineers added extra factors from the C closing of the occasion as Leah Wagner (1:05.26) positioned 18th total and Demi Blaylock (1:08.31) positioned twenty fourth.

The closing particular person occasion of the night time noticed a pair of Mountaineers within the championship warmth of the 200 butterfly and Jaylen Lembas within the B closing.

Lembas obtained issues rolling with one other lifetime greatest on the day, ending thirteenth total with a time of two:11.24.

Talbot and Joanna Swiderska have been subsequent on the blocks, racing within the championship closing of the occasion. Talbot had set a lifetime greatest within the morning prelims, then bettered that point at night time, ending third total with a time of two:06.53 – simply 0.41 seconds off the NCAA provisional time normal.

Swiderska held her putting from the prelims, ending sixth within the championship warmth, touching the pads with a time of two:08.96.

The closing occasion of the session noticed Western’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ relays sprinting within the 200 freestyle relay.

With Western’s highest relay end of the championship meet, the ‘A’ foursome of Swiderska, Krise, Fries and Jorstad earned a fourth place for the Mountaineers, combining for a time of 1:36.46. The ‘B’ relay of Wagner, Hopewell, Bingley and Del Rosario would clock a time of 1:39.63, good for thirteenth place.

Host Colorado Mesa University sits atop the workforce leaderboard with 1,357.5 factors, forward of second place Colorado School of Mines’ 991.5 factors.

PRELIMS RECAP
Western Colorado swimmers completed off Friday morning’s preliminaries session of the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships with its largest variety of swimmers advancing into the Day 4 championship session at night time, a lot of these Mountaineers already producing lifetime bests.

The final occasion of the morning’s prelims session on the El Pomar Natatorium, the 200-yard butterfly, offered Western with two championship finalists and another swimmer within the B comfort closing.

Posting a career-best time of two minutes, 6.77 seconds to go into the championship warmth because the No. 2 seed was Adessa Talbot. She’ll be joined in that championship closing by teammate Joanna Swiderska (2:08.27) who will probably be seeded sixth.

Jaylen Lembas swam to a profession time of two:11.93 in her prelims warmth to maneuver into the B closing at night time.

Talbot’s time knocked on the door of the NCAA Division II provisional altitude adjusted time normal of two:06.12.

The morning session began off with the five hundred freestyle, an occasion that may see six Mountaineers within the nighttime’s heats.

Morgan Nielsen will swim within the championship closing after posting the seventh quickest time of 5:07.04, which surpassed the NCAA DII provisional altitude adjusted normal of 5:08.89.

The C comfort closing will probably be stuffed predominantly by Mountaineers swimmers – 5 of the eight spots – as Brionna Thomas (5:15.46), AvaMarie Hopewell (5:15.54), Agnieszka Rudomina (5:17.14), Sidney-Ann Morris (a lifetime better of 5:19.26), and Sophia Del Rosario (5:24.44) will make it a Crimson and Slate warmth.

Multiple profession greatest swims got here from Western’s 100 backstroke entrants that superior into the finals session.

Anna Jorstad leads three Mountaineers into the B consols with a profession greatest time of 58.13 seconds. Lauryn Bingley (59.36) and Cate Coffield (59.37) additionally posted lifetime bests within the prelims to earn spots within the B closing with Jorstad.

Three Western swimmers – Sarah Krise (59.61), Talbot (1:00.55), and Kylee Ruhser (1:00.77) – earned placement within the C closing, with Krise and Ruhser each swimming to profession bests.

The 100 breaststroke warmth within the night time session will function a trio of Mountaineers, led by Ella Fries within the B closing after a lifetime greatest swim of 1:04.87 in her prelims warmth.

The C consols warmth will embrace Western’s Leah Wagner (1:06.03) and Demi Blaylock (1:08.24).

The night’s championship session is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and along with the person occasions, will conclude with the 200 freestyle relay.