The Utah swimming and diving teams added to their momentum as they swept the competition at home Saturday.
The quad meet packed four teams into the Ute Natatorium as the Utes took on New Mexico, Seattle and undefeated Boise State. The women had decisive victories against all three of their competitors, as they beat Boise State 162-137, New Mexico 216-83 and Seattle 234-53. The men, who only took on Seattle, won in a 186.5-87.5 blowout victory.
The men won 14 of the 16 events and once again were led by senior John Baque, who finished first in the 100 breast (58.58), the 200 breast (2:08.20) and the 100 fly (52.12).
The men showcased their display of the upcoming young talent, as freshman Ryan Hansen and sophomore Eric Bonicelli both finished first in two events. Hansen won the 1000 free (9:47.18) and the 500 free (4:41.63), and Bonicelli won the 200 fly in a season-best time (1:55.03), and the 400 IM (4:10.98). The other free races were taken by young Utes as well, as sophomore Eric Murray won the 200 (1:44.38), and freshman Karson Applin took the 100 (48.48).
The individual weekly performances seem to be turning into a solid team effort for the men, and head coach Greg Winslow said he admired their style after the meet.
“The men are getting a taste of winning, and it’s good to see them enjoy it,” Winslow said. “It’s good to see them smiling and having fun throughout the meet.”
Despite the big win for the men, the women’s victory over Boise State is perhaps the top story coming out of the Ute Natatorium. The Boise State women’s team came into the quad meet undefeated, most recently beating Pac-10 powerhouse Washington State. However, the Utah women earned the large-margin victory. Junior Maiya Otsuka defeated Emily Irvin8212;the tough swimmer from Boise State8212;with her first-place time of 1 minute 6.9 seconds in the 100 breaststroke. She also finished first in the 100 back with a solid time at 58.82 seconds, and in the 400 IM (4:34.89), where she won by inches, outstretching the second-place finisher.
“The women’s team has a tough season ahead of them, but they are learning to be tough,” Winslow said. “Last week, they swam well against UNLV, and today they beat a strong Boise State team. On paper, those teams look better than us, but we are finding ways to win, and it keeps building our confidence for the rest of the season.”
The diving team displayed a dominating performance once again by junior Kwan Ling Yu, as she reached two career-high scores in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. She fell short of first place in the 1-meter with a score of 273.70 but was able to top the competition in the 3-meter (308.35). Because of her performance in those two dives, Yu qualified for the NCAA Zone Regional meet.
Because of the sweep of the quad meet, the men improved their record to 2-2, the best start to a season the men have had since 2006. The women are now 5-2 and in third place in the Mountain West behind Colorado State and BYU.
Next on the calendar for Utah swimming is the prestigious Nike Cup in Long Beach, Calif., from Nov. 19 to Nov. 21.