LAS VEGAS – NM State completed the final leg of its participation in the three-day UNLV Winter Invite with some standout performances to finish the meet with 547 points to come in fourth out of 10 programs that competed.
 
Highlighted by a podium sweep in the 200 back, NM State's day consisted of many swims that stack up against some of the best that have ever competed in the Crimson & White. In the event, Lindsay Puhalski led the way with a time of 1:58.48 while Thea Masselink went 1:59.06 to finish second and Maude Boily-Dufour clocked in at 2:00.73 to finish third. With those swims, Puhalski now ranks fourth all-time and Masselink sits in sixth in program history.
 
After posting a time of 5:01.14 in the prelims, Naomi Slee upped her tempo to swim a 4:54.12 in the B Final to finish more than a second ahead of the next-closest competitor. This time also ranks third all-time in program history. Slee also later finished fourth in the 200 free with a time of 1:49.64 – placing her fifth in program history.
 
Slee added to her list of impressive swims as she finished fourth in the 1650 free while her time of 16:58.34 ranks second all-time in NM State history.
 
Lindsay Puhalski then turned in a solid performance in the ensuing race as she posted the Aggies' fastest 200 IM of the season with a time of 2:03.03. Aimee Burton also accomplished the same feat in the 50 free, managing a season-best time of 23.20 in the event.
 
Puhalski's day got even better with a second-place finish in the 400 IM – recording a time of 4:18.78 to rank first among NM State swimmers this season and third in program history.
 
TEAM RESULTS

1. UCLA – 1,344 points
2. Northern Arizona – 762 points
3. UNLV – 722 points
4. NM State – 547 points
5. California Baptist – 236 points
6. Cal Poly – 176 points
7. New Mexico – 164 points
8. Fresno Pacific – 40 points
9. Linfield University – 21 points
10. Lewis & Clark Colelge – 10 points

 
QUOTABLE | HEAD COACH RICK PRATT
"This was a very positive experience, and our group showed a tremendous amount of grit during the last session. Almost all of our swims tonight were better than the morning and our relays at the end of the night were awesome. This was such a great way to end the year and will give us great confidence and motivation heading into the new year."
 
UP NEXT
The weekend meet in Las Vegas concludes the Aggies 2022 schedule as they will now have an opportunity to get some rest before returning to the pool when they host Grand Canyon and Idaho in a triangular on Saturday, Jan. 7.
 
The meet against the pair of WAC programs is set to take place at the NM State Swimming & Diving Complex and will be open to the public and free of charge.