The University of Utah men?s and women?s swimming and diving teams finished second in the Early Bird Invitational at Colorado State University last weekend.
The men?s team finished with 882 points, second to the Air Force Academy, which totaled 1,093 points. Cody Rempfer led the Ute men with three first-place finishes. He clocked in first at 51.95 seconds in the 100-meter fly and at 1:52.87 in the 200-meter fly. Rempfer also won the 400 individual medley with an impressive time of 4:11.62.
Evan Castro took first place in the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:09.29.
Meanwhile, the women finished second with 867 points, finishing second behind host school Colorado State University. The Rams totaled 1,055 points.
Neringa Statkeviciute took three first-place finishes, an impressive start to the season. Statkeviciute won the 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle events.
Ute sophomore Kristen Kaiser won both the 1,650 meter freestyle race as well as the 400-meter individual medley.
Loren Sweny also got a first place finish, that coming in the 500-meter freestyle event.
The women?s team also set an Early Bird Invitational record in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 7:41.25. Kaiser, Statkeviciute, Sweny and Sara Afong were the members of that record setting team.
Utah coach Mike Litzinger was impressed with the advancements his team made since last year.
?We have made significant improvements in both quality and depth from last year,? he said. ?I am pleased with how our teams competed, and this is a great way to start our season.?
Last year, the Utes finished fifth in the Mountain West Conference Championships in Oklahoma City. They?re looking to improve on that finish, as Litzinger begins his second year of rebuilding the program.
Next, the women travel to Oregon State for a meet with the Beavers on Oct. 26. The Utes will open their home season with a meet against Brigham Young on Nov. 2, in which both the men and women will compete.