Lobos Dive Into Action: Quad Meet Showdown at USAFA!

USAFA, Colo. — The Lobos, coming off a pair of narrow meet outcomes at San Diego State, are set to compete one state to the north, diving into the pool at the United States Air Force Academy against two Mountain West teams, Air Force and Colorado State, along with Seattle from the Western Athletic Conference. The meet will take place over two days, with the first portion scheduled for Friday, January 17, starting at 5 p.m., and the second portion on Saturday, January 18, at 11 a.m. The event can be viewed on YouTube here.

The majority of the Lobos’ team will be present for the quad-meet, with notable exceptions such as Arianna Stokes, who has not returned from overseas, and Katy McCarter, who is missing due to degree obligations. Also absent will be Summer Wenger and diver Rithika Colvin.

Air Force, which secured third place at the Phill Hansel Invitational (UNM finished seventh in the same event), holds a 12-3 record this year with an impressive 11-0 at home. Colorado State currently stands at 1-3 overall, securing a victory against Colorado Mesa while facing narrow defeats to Washington State, Denver, and Wyoming. Seattle has yet to secure a win, sitting at 0-5 with losses to Cal Baptist, Grand Canyon, Washington State, Idaho, and Simon Fraser.

In their previous outings, the Lobos were defeated 165-126 by San Diego State and 155-144 by Pepperdine. The narrow 11-point loss to Pepperdine marked a near miss for UNM’s first dual win against a Division I team since defeating San Diego 129-106 on January 8, 2022. That meet comprised just 13 events. UNM’s latest victory over a Division I team in a full 16-event meet was a resounding 194-106 triumph over New Mexico State on January 25, 2020.

The Lobos managed to secure wins in the 100-yard butterfly, with Sophia Corder taking first place in a time of 57.65, her second-fastest time this season. Layni Andrle finished third in the same event, clocking in at 59.70.

Moreover, the relay squad consisting of Jordan Foster, Katy McCarter, Andrle, and Corder clinched first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:36.18. Corder participated in this event in place of Arianna Stokes, one of several Lobos who missed the competition while returning to Albuquerque from overseas for the holiday break. Paige Lyons and Eryn Quirsfeld came close to setting season-best times in the 1,000, with Lyons finishing at 11:06.28, around five seconds shy of her best, and Quirsfeld at 11:17.06, just 0.05 seconds off her personal record.