On the fourth and final night of the Pac-12 Championships, the Utah women’s swim team finished in sixth place overall with a total of 538.5 points, just behind UCLA.
“We had a great final session tonight, and I’m very proud of the whole team for not just tonight, but for fighting through this whole season,” said head coach Joe Dykstra. “Tonight, we had some really great events. Megan Kawaguchi broke the school record in the 200-yard backstroke, Amanda Casillas finished in the top-8 on platform and Stina Colleou was a rock star, finishing fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke while battling severe back spasms all week.”
In the 1,650-yard freestyle, the women competed during prelims since there were no finals for the event. Sophomore Kat Wickham placed 10th, finishing with a time of 16:32.60, while teammates senior Maryssa McArthur (16:46.34) and sophomore Isabella Kearns (17:15.18) placed 14th and 20th, respectively.
Later on, finals began with the 200-yard backstroke, as sophomore Kawaguchi swam a 1:56.85, placing 17th in C-finals. Not only did she set a personal record for herself, but she also broke the school record, previously held by graduate Amanda Barrett.
In the 200-yard breaststroke, junior Colleou placed fourth in A-finals, touching in at a 2:09.55. Her teammates, freshman Genevieve Robertson (2:11.47) and senior Brianna Francis (2:14.44) also swam this event, placing 10th and 18th, respectively.
In the final individual event of the meet, freshman Jordan Anderson and Kearns swam the 200-yard butterfly. Anderson placed 20th with a 1:59.91 while Kearns placed 22nd with a 2:00.99.
In the last relay of the meet, the team of sophomore Dorien Butter, sophomore Jenna Marsh, freshmen Gillian St. John and junior Rihanna Williams swam the 400-yard freestyle, placing eighth with a 3:22.95.
In diving, junior Casillas competed in the women’s platform event during finals, placing eighth with a score of 254.05.
Up next, the men’s swim team will head to Federal Way, Wash. to compete in its own Pac-12 conference meet, from March 2 to 5. Session 1 will begin on Wednesday.
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