English Takes 7th in 3-Meter with Zone Qualifier
HOUSTON, Texas — Alice English posted a 286.3 in the prelim round to earn A-Final status, posting an NCAA Zone score as English became the first Lobo to earn All-Mountain West honors at the 2024 Mountain West Championships. English recorded a 270 in the finals to finish seventh overall in the event.
The Lobos also turned in an eighth-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay as UNM finished the day with 214 points, good for ninth place. The Lobos are 46 points behind Air Force for eighth place. Last year UNM scored just 316 points at the Championships, so after just two days of the four-day event, UNM nearly has equaled that total, a solid improvement for the squad.
The 3-meter diving event was good for UNM as all four divers recorded points. English, on the strength of her A-qualifying score in the prelims, scored 23 points. Kristen Hepfer continued her strong meet with a B-Final showing, finishing second in the B-Final for 10th overall and 17 points. Abigail Bouravnev was 23rd and Zoe Rinon was 24th, scoring two and one points, giving UNM four scorers in the event. Only San Diego State, with five scorers, bettered UNM in that department.
In the pool, Jordan Foster and Maya Clisee scored for UNM. Foster picked up a third-place finish in the B-Final of the 50, recording a 23.25 in the final after a 23.10 in the prelims, scoring 16 points. Clise was a scorer in the 500 free. She qualified for the C-Final with the final qualifying time of 5:00.77, but she moved up two slots to sixth in the final, netting three points.
Friday will feature six events, the 200-yard freestyle relay, the 100-yard butterfly, the 400-yard individual medley, the 200-yard free, the 100-yard breaststroke, and 100-yard backstroke.
Jordan Foster will have a busy day swimming both the 100 fly and breast and Kaylah Yazzie will have a pair of events in the 100 fly and the 100 back. Along with Foster and Yazzie, the 100 fly will have Sophia Corder. Layni Andrle is UNM’s only entrant in the 400 IM. Four swimmers, Marin Wilson, Tahlia Micallef, Linda Franco, and Brynn Quintana will all swim in the 200 free. Along with Foster in the 100 breast, Kiana Ragaas, Amaya Oliphant, and Ola Tomaszek will join her, and the 100 back will feature Alex McGill, Katy McCarter, Iryna Tsesiul, Maddie Deucher, and Yazzie.
NOTES: English is the first Lobo diver to earn All-Mountain West honors since Jocelyn Gallais did it in the platform in 2020. She’s the first to earn it in the 3-Meter since 2014, when Megan Harper won the event.