BOX SCORE
ARVADA, Colo. – The Northern State University women’s swimming team opened up their first ever Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships Thursday with a strong performance that placed them in sixth after the first day with 94 team points.
“The week has been busy with training twice daily to get prepared for the meet and to get adjusted to the altitude. Our athletes seem to be handling it well however each athlete is affected differently, and they have also been studying since they are missing a full week of classes,” explained coach Elyce Kastigar.
The Wolves got 28 points in the 200-yard free relay team that finished with a school record breaking time of 1:42.03. That team was composed of Christine Retzlaff, Brooke Larson, Allie Samuels and Molly Pengilly. They got an additional six points in the event from their second relay that finished in 14th place. The team of Alana King, Teal Jacobsen, Cynthia Konechne and Laura McCowan finished with a time of 1:55.34.
Christine Retzlaff earned her first B qualifying time in the 200-yard IM, and the first in the history of Northern State University women’s swimming with her second-place finish. Her time of 2:12.30 earned the Wolves 17 points and set a school record in the process.
Brooke Larson finished 15th in the same race with a time of 2:21.77, earning two points for the Wolves.
Molly Pengilly set a season-best time in the 50-yard free at 25.91, and her 12th place finish earned the Wolves five points.
The 400-yard medley relay team of Larson, Retzlaff, Sarah Iwerks and Pengilly finished with a time of 4:15.72. The time placed them fifth, earning 28 points, and broke the Northern State school record by nearly 10 seconds.
The team of Brittany Hiten, Samuels, King and McGowan earned a 13th place finish in the event with a time of 4:43.26, earning the team eight points.
Day two of the meet will continue today with prelims in the morning and finals in the evening.
Northern State University is an NCAA Division II affiliated school participating in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
**GO WOLVES**