LAS CRUCES, N.M. – On Friday, NM State Swimming & Diving entered the water for the first time in the regular season. The Aggies began their two-day meet against Utah Tech and New Mexico with the relay portion, cruising by both opponents on the first day of the campaign. NM State toppled UNM 90-12, while notching a 76-22 victory over the Trailblazers.
 
Head Coach Rick Pratt, on the day: "Today was a lot of fun! To start our dual meet season with a relay meet brought out some great energy and performances from our team. I was really impressed with how we did. If we can carry that intensity tomorrow, it should be another great day."
 
The day began with the 400 medley relay, as the Aggies took three of the top four spots. Ahead of Utah Tech in second place was the grouping of Emily Dobbins, Kodi Wiman, Willow Messner and Dijana Mazumdar, posting a cumulative time of 3:49:91. Elsewhere, Thea Masselink, Foteini Charitou, Emma Bacon and Katie Rink combined for a 3:59:21 mark that got the Aggies their second spot on the podium. 
 
The 300 fly relay was more of the same as the home team took first and third. Freshman Willow Messner (57.96), Emma Bacon (58.82) and Faye McDonagh (57.01) teamed up for a nearly five-second victory. Ellen Osthelder (59.67), Dreamer Kowatch (1:06.74) and Estel Galo (53.44) finished just behind the Trailblazers' best, coming in at 2:59.85.
 
The 300 back relay proved to be the third consecutive event with two Aggie podium finishes. Emily Dobbins, Thea Masselink and Naomi Slee grouped up for a pool-best 2:52.98 time, while Jamie Puhalski, first-year Aggie Natalia Florian and Ellen Osthelder touched the wall at 2:58.10.
 
The 300 breast produced yet another 1-3 finish for Rick Pratt's bunch, with McDonagh (1:05:34), Charitou (1:07.71) and Wiman (1:04.24) taking the top spot. With yet another Utah Tech second-place finish in the middle, Arleen Rumbaum (1:06.95), Caroline Costantini (1:09.06) and Riley Crespo (1:09.13) clinching bronze.
 
The penultimate event of the day was the 4x100 IM relay. Faye McDonagh set the tempo for NM State, clocking in at 59.67. The England native was one of just three individuals to finish in less than a minute, with the other two also being Aggies. Kodi Wiman (59.93) anchored the Aggies' A grouping, while Estel Galo (57.08) did so for the B unit while boasting the fastest time of any participant. The Aggies cruised to another 1-3 finish on the podium. 
 
The 500 free relay closed the action for the day. A clean sweep of first-place finishes for the hosts came courtesy of Dobbins, Mazumdar, Slee and Rink. The quartet edged out Utah Tech by less than a second, touching the wall after 4:32.97. 
 
UP NEXT
The Aggies will hit the water again on Saturday, with the triangular meet set to begin at 11:30 AM. The Crimson & White look to end their first weekend of the season perfect and maintain their success from a season ago. All the action will be available to follow via Swimcloud, or through the link found at nmstatesports.com.
 
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