Jan. 3, 2015 Final Stats
RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada opened its 2015 athletic calendar on Saturday, as the Wolf Pack swimming and diving team defeated Cal State East Bay and remained unbeaten. Head coach Abby Steketee's Wolf Pack defeated the Pioneers, 128-74, Saturday in Lombardi Pool to improve to 6-0.
Nevada won 9-of-11 events and swept the podium in three races en route to its sixth consecutive victory to open the 2014-15 season. The Wolf Pack is off to its best start since 2011-12, when they also opened with a 6-0 record.
Junior Yawen Li, sophomore Aranxta Medina-Alegria, sophomore Teresa Baerens and freshman Jaeger Turner each contributed to a pair of event wins for the Wolf Pack.
"I was really pleased with how we attacked back to back races and different events, especially during this difficult winter training," said coach Steketee. "Yawen had a very impressive 200 free and 400 IM, and showed her toughness and talent by swimming two challenging events."
Nevada opened the meet with a victory in the 400-yard medley relay (3:52.53), but the Pioneers remained close in the team score through the meet's first two events. Nevada dropped the hammer from there, winning eight events in a row before exhibitioning all three of its 200-yard freestyle relay teams in the final event of the afternoon.
Nevada went 1-2-3 in the 200 free with Li, who won Mountain West Swimmer of the Week honors after Nevada's last meet, winning in 1:53.45. Sophomore Sita Kusserow (1:53.80) and freshman Josefin Eriksen (1:55.62) placed second and third, respectively.
The Wolf Pack extended its lead in the 50-yard freestyle thanks to the efforts of a freshman. Jaeger Turner, a freshman from Bolton, England, won in 24.91. Junior Erin Fuss placed second (25.06). Nevada tallied its second 1-2-3 finish in the 400-yard IM - Li (4:26.33), Baerens (4:27.59) and sophomore Riley Hilbrandt (4:45.20) - and led by a 68-25 margin at the midway point of the meet.
Refusing to let the Pioneers claw their way back, Nevada tallied another 1-2-3 finish in the 100-yard butterfly thanks to Medina-Alegria's winning time of 59.36 - Nevada's first sub-minute 100 fly time of the season. Freshman Kate Hofmeyer placed second (1:00.07) and Drennan (1:03.68) placed third.
Newcomer Emma Payne, a freshman from Australia, made her Wolf Pack debut in the 100-yard freestyle and touched the wall in 53.79 to win. Payne is one of two student-athletes to join Nevada over the winter break. Senior Michelle Forman also placed second in the 100 free (54.64).
The Wolf Pack also picked up wins in the 100-yard backstroke from Eriksen (58.17) and in the 500-yard freestyle from Kusserow (5:09.52). Baerens (1:07.02) and senior Lauren Allen (1.09.15) claimed the top two spots in the 100-yard breaststroke, helping Nevada reach its final meet score of 128.
The Wolf Pack will continue a busy stretch of events next weekend, competing at two events. The swimmers will travel to San Diego, Calif., for duals against Rice and San Diego State on Friday, Jan. 9, at 10 a.m. (PT). Junior Krysta Palmer and freshman Wendy Espina-Esquivel will represent Nevada at the Hawai'i Diving Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Honolulu.
