Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa captured the men’s and women’s team titles on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships following five days of intense competition at the El Pomar Natatorium in Grand Junction, Colorado.
 
The Mavericks secured the conference crowns for the sixth straight season and controlled the team standings from the very first night of the meet. The Colorado Mesa men tallied 1,153.5 points over the five-day meet, finishing 464.5 points ahead of runner-up Colorado School of Mines. The women scored 1,221 points, with second place awarded to the Orediggers (637.5 points).
 
CMU received three honors at the championship meet, as Jenna Hurley and Kenya Meyer shared the women’s diver of the meet, Isaiah Cheeks with the men’s diver of the meet and Ben Sampson awarded the men’s swimmer of the meet. All four Mavericks were tied for or the leading point-getter from the week of racing and diving. Simon Fraser’s Tori Meklensek was awarded the women’s swimmer of the meet, after accumulating 77 points in the Red Leafs’ first appearance at the RMAC Championships.
 
As for Saturday’s action, the finals session began with the longest event of the championships: the 1,650-yard freestyle. Sophomore Olivia Hansson started the night for Colorado Mesa defeating Meklensek in a race of endurance, touching the wall with a 17:00.22. In the men’s event, Oklahoma Christian’s Victor Rosado won his fourth individual race, holding off Colorado School of Mines’ Joseph Lev-Tov with a time of 15:42.15.
 
Both 100-yard freestyle races were taken by Colorado Mesa, with Ada Qunell as the victor in the women’s heat with a 50.06. Freshman Jameson McEnaney survived a late charge from teammate Aziz Ghaffari to win the men’s event in 44.20 seconds.
 
The first meet records of the night came in the 200-yard backstroke, also completed by Maverick swimmers. Freshman Agata Nasket broke the pool record in addition to the championship meet record with her impressive swim of 1:57.27. Sampson improved his own meet record in the men’s heat with a 1:43.56, replacing his 2023 championship meet record of 1:44.49.
 
A thrilling women’s 200-yard breaststroke race resulted in Mines’ Jordan Tierney winning her second individual event of the meet, defeating CMU’s Benedict Nagy with Tierney’s time of 2:15.88 opposed to Nagy’s 2:16.55. The men’s event had Oklahoma Christian’s JT Amrein win his second breaststroke event of the meet, with a time of 1:57.20.
 
On the diving boards, Cheeks put on a show for the El Pomar Natatorium faithful, recording multiple 60-point dives in the finals. He was rewarded with the 1-meter gold medal, after putting up a 570.25 overall score. The experienced Maverick diver helped sweep the event for Colorado Mesa, with Jax Juarros and Dawson Wilson joining Cheeks in the top-three spots.
 
The Mavericks finished the meet in style before being awarded the championship, as both the men and women set meet records in the 400-yard medley relay event. The women’s squad of Qunell, Elli Williams, Izzy Powers and Lauren White posted a 3:21.63, while the men’s quad of McEnaney, Sampson, Ghaffari and Andrew Scoggin recorded a time of 2:55.30.
 
Multiple RMAC institutions will conclude their swimming and diving seasons with the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships on Mar. 12-16 at the SPIRE Institute- Aquatics Center in Geneva, Ohio.