HOUSTON, Texas – Cowboy swimming and diving concluded the final day of the Western Athletic Conference Championships, placing second with 754 points. Wyoming finished behind Air Force with 794.5 points, and ahead of third-place Grand Canyon University with 563 points.
The final session began with the 1650 freestyle, where the freshman duo of Seth Borgert and Jacob Harlan placed seventh and ninth, respectively. Borgert’s time of 15:29.61 was his season-best and sixth-fastest in school history. Harlan’s time of 15:34.34 was also his best on the year.
The Cowboys then narrowed the gap with Air Force placing four swimmers in the top eight of the 200 backstroke, each with season-best times. Junior Ryan Ball led the way with an NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 1:44.35 to place second. Junior Slade Sheaffer took fifth with a time of 1:47.17. Senior Patrick Jones finished just behind Sheaffer in sixth with a mark of 1:48.15. Freshman Sean Calkins claimed the eighth spot with a time of 1:49.80. Wyoming trailed Air Force by just 23 points after the event.
Senior Gabe Rooker swam his fastest race of the season in the 200 breaststroke at 1:56.35 to become the WAC champion. His time was the third-fastest in Wyoming history and two-tenths of a second from the WAC record. Sophomore Loren Sether placed eighth with a time of 1:59.66, over six seconds faster than his best time prior to the WAC Championships.
Three Cowboys placed in the top eight of the 200 butterfly, led by sophomore Jack Herron who placed second with a time of 1:45.64. Junior Jacob Porter clocked a time of 1:46.21 to grab the third spot, and junior Wade Nelson took fifth with a mark of 1:47.32.
Freshman Scotia Mullin made history in the platform event, shattering the WAC record by nearly 90 points. In the preliminary, Mullin earned the top spot with a score of 394.75, topping the previous WAC record of 344.80. Mullin wasn’t satisfied, and came back in the final with one of the best performances in Wyoming history. The freshman diver scored a 423.85, improving on his own WAC record with the second-highest platform score ever by a Cowboy. Redshirt-sophomore Ryan Russi tabbed the fifth spot with a score of 281.90, while senior Jacob Rehmeier placed sixth with a score of 266.25. Both were season-best marks.
Wyoming closed out the weekend in the 400 freestyle relay, placing fourth with a time of 2:56.14. The team of junior Kyle White, Rooker, sophomore Liam Metzsch and sophomore David Murphy swam the second-fastest race in school history, securing second place for the Cowboys.
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WAC Awards
Freshman Scotia Mullin was named Western Athletic Conference Diver of the Year following the conclusion of the WAC Championship last weekend. UW diving coach Kyle Bogner was awarded WAC Diving Coach of the Year.
Wyoming’s divers finished in the top six of each of the three events at the WAC Championship last weekend. Mullin placed second in the 3-meter with a score of 349.75. Senior Jacob Rehmeier took third with a 319.85, while redshirt-sophomore Ryan Russi earned fifth with a 284.95. Mullin then earned his first WAC title on the 1-meter with a mark of 311.60. Rehmeier took second with a score of 290.60 and Russi finished fourth with a 286.40. All three divers posted season-best scores on the 1-meter.
Mullin’s most impressive performance came in the platform where he scored a 423.85, shattering the WAC record by over 79 points. His career-best mark was the second-highest in school history. Russi placed fifth in the event with a 281.90 and Rehmeier took sixth with a 266.25. All three scores in the platform were also season highs.
Wyoming won five WAC ‘Diver of the Week’ honors this year under Bogner, who is in his second season as UW’s head diving coach. Mullin won three weekly awards and Russi earned two.
The divers will be back in action next week at the NCAA Zone E regionals. Mullin and Russi will compete for the Cowboys, while freshman Karla Contreras, senior Keely Bishop and senior Lauren Puglisi will suit up for the Cowgirls.
