ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Following some time off, the Aggies returned to the pool in impressive fashion as they doubled up their rival – defeating New Mexico 200-100 on Saturday.
 
Lindsay Puhalski's three first-place finishes highlighted the Aggies' victory as she claimed the top spot in the 200 free (1:55.19) and 200 IM (2:09.45) while also securing a new personal best on her way to claiming gold in the 200 breaststroke.
 
Freshman Thea Masselink also submitted a strong trio of performances as she reached the wall first in the 100 back with a time of 58.66 while picking up the top spot in the 200 back (2:05.52) before finishing just behind Puhalski in the 200 IM with a time of 2:14.52.
 
Like Masselink, Naomi Slee also tallied a pair of first-place finishes against the Lobos. Slee notched the best time in both the 500 free (5:09.37) and 1000 free (10:34.75).
 
Meanwhile, four other Aggies also secured gold in their respective events during the dominant win over New Mexico. Estel Galo was the fastest swimmer in the 200 fly (2:12.08), senior Aimee Burton posted a win in the 100 free (52.51), Kate Malinowski finished first in the 1-meter diving event (245.25) and Italia Aranzabal placed first in the 3-meter dive (275.03).
 
The Aggies also performed well in the relay events as NM State groups were first in both the 400 medley relay and 200 free relay. In the 400 medley relay, the team of Thea Masselink, Aimee Burton, Rachel Ponte and Lindsay Puhalski combined for a time of 3:55.36. Meanwhile, the quartet of Aimee Burton, Kira Brownell, Emilee Ferrari and Elizabeth Cervantes-Vanderlugt teamed up to post a time of 1:36.95 to claim first in the 200 free relay.
 
QUOTABLE | HEAD COACH RICK PRATT
"Today was a great showing on the road and we're in a strong place headed into the WAC Championship meet. Much of our team showed a lot of progress with their strategies and technique and, overall, we competed with a lot of grit and determination. Moving forward, we're going to keep fine-tuning our skills while celebrating the hard work this team has done."
 
UP NEXT
This was the penultimate regular season meet for the Aggie divers as they prepare for a trip to Colorado Springs for the Air Force Diving Invite on Feb. 2-4 ahead of the WAC Championships. Meanwhile, the NM State swimmers will now ready for the WAC Championships from February 23 to February 26 in Pharr, Texas.