Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Mountain West Championships
Laying the First Brick
2/19/2025 8:07:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
The Mountain West Swim and Dive Championship Starts With A Bang
Starting something new can often be the hardest part, yet also the most exciting.
That sentiment rang true as Colorado State Swimming and Diving kicked off the Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championships with two relays—the 200-yard medley relay and the 800 freestyle relay.
Separated by the 1-meter diving competition, these relays are some of the highest-energy events in any swim meet. Unlike individual races, these events emphasize teamwork, making them a crucial test of collective effort and spirit.
Slated to finish fourth in the 200 medley, the Rams were eager to shake off the jitters and set the tone for the meet.
"I wasn't nervous before, but the anticipation and excitement of the first event of the entire meet can bring a lot of pressure," said Katie Flynn, the breaststroker for the medley relay. "As a relay team, we stayed behind one another and calmed each other's nerves, just lifting each other up. Trusting our coaches, our teammates, and all the work we put in."
With a seed time of 1:40.31, they clocked in at 1:39.81, earning sixth place after Washington State's impressive 1:36.51 performance. Though CSU ended the day in eighth overall, there was still plenty of competition left ahead.
It aligns with their team motto. This season, the Rams focused on building brick by brick, emphasizing small improvements over immediate results.
"I think each year is unique," coach Christopher Woodard said. "There's no standard for what we're facing. We lost a couple of head-to-heads this year, and that got them into the right mindset. So what if you're not placed in the lane you want? I'm trying to put a little bit of a chip on their shoulder—no matter what's thrown at them, they're expected to be at their best."
The highlight of the night came in the 800Â freestyle relay. The team crushed their seed time of 7:25.27 by an astonishing 8.54 seconds, finishing in 7:17.33. A key factor in that performance was Mia Axelman's 1:48.76 split setting up the second-fastest time for the program in the event.
Axelman shattered her previous collegiate best time of 1:52.16 with a staggering 3.4-second drop.
"I had a really strong warm-up," Axelman said. "It's been a goal of mine for a long time to get under 1:50, so I told myself, 'Right now is the time. I'm just going to give it my all.'"
In contrast to the high-intensity relays, the 1-meter springboard diving competition provided a momentary shift in pace.
Two Rams, junior Maggie Di Scipio and freshman Riley Lee, competed in the preliminary round, placing 21st and 23rd, respectively. Their performances helped set the stage for an action-packed meet ahead.
Woodard views the first day as a stepping stone, with individual events offering a clearer picture of the team's full potential.
"I don't worry too much about the first day," Woodard said. "We haven't seen the individual performances yet, and we can assess better once everyone has an event under their belt. But I think the key moving forward is bringing energy and confidence behind the block. That's something we'll talk about in our prep tomorrow."
Energy is something Flynn brings not just to her own races but also to her teammates.
After an injury cut her 2023 season short, she finds just as much excitement in watching her teammates succeed as she does in competing herself.
"I'm most excited to watch my teammates," Flynn said. "Specifically watching Tess (Whineray)—I think she's going to kill it in the backstroke. And then Erin (Dawson)—I think she's going to do just as well, if not better, than she did last year.
"Obviously, I'm excited to swim, and I believe I'll do really well, but more than anything, I'm excited to see all the hard work my teammates have put in and how it's going to show in their races."
Brick by brick, the Rams are building their way through the competition. In some ways, it's just another meet—but the intensity of the championships is undeniable.
Even the most experienced athletes feel the weight of competition. The desire to perform well not just for themselves but for their teammates adds an extra layer of pressure. But Woodard reminds them to trust their preparation and focus on what they do best—racing.
"It sounds so simple, but at the end of the day, it's just swimming," Woodard said. "We're just swimming back and forth really fast. They've done it their whole lives, and many of them have been in big meets before. The tension comes from wondering, 'Am I ready to perform and help my teammates out?' But I remind them—they've been doing it all year."
Balancing pressure while using it as fuel is a skill the Rams hope to master by the end of the meet on February 22.
The action continues Thursday with five more events: the 50 and 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 400 medley relay and 3-meter springboard.
Players Mentioned
