New Mexico State vs. Colorado State

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, January 22. COLORADO State engaged in a dramatic, back-and-forth dual with New Mexico State Saturday at Moby Pool, eventually dropping a close contest, 156.5-143.5.

The non-conference dual meet against the Aggies (4-5, 0-4 Western Athletic Conference) was one of the closest meets of the season for CSU (5-6, 2-5 Mountain West Conference). In the 16-event meet there were eight lead changes, and the outcome of the meet came down to the final leg of the final event, the 200 Freestyle Relay.

After a neck-and-neck battle in that final leg, Alex Fenton and NMSU (one minute, 36.29 seconds) were able to hold off Charlie Swearingen and CSU (1:36.59) by three-tenths of a second. Had Swearingen managed to pass Fenton, the Rams would have won the meet.

"So that just tells you the kind of meet it was," Head Coach John Mattos said. "We're just not ready to swim fast and we're just not quite ready to perform consistently as a team from the start of a meet to the end of a meet.

"I just expect our kids to perform well and I think on the whole our kids performed well."

The 200 Free Relay was not the only event in which the Rams and Aggies were close. In the fifth event, the 100 Breaststroke, CSU's Nicole Lynch and NMSU's Kelly Runestrand actually touched their pads at the same time, for a third-place tie (1:06.56). After that race, the scoreboard read CSU 46.5, NMSU 46.5.

The Rams had very good performances by junior Breann Fuller and sophomore Arianne Lujan in their individual events. Fuller took first in the 100 Backstroke and second in the 200 Backstroke. Lujan came away from the meet with a first-place finish in the 100 Butterfly, a second-place effort in the 100 Breaststroke, and a third-place showing in the 400 Individual Medley.

CSU now looks ahead to its final regular-season meet, conference-rival Wyoming, at home Feb. 4, at 5 p.m. MT, before the Rams head off to Oklahoma for the MWC championships.

"I have confidence in this team that we're going to be ready when it's time," Mattos said. "We hope for maybe a top-three finish in the championships; that's our ultimate goal.

"Wyoming is going to be as tough if not tougher than any meet we've had. They're an excellent club; they've got great seniors that are swimming right on top of the water right now. But you never know. This is going to be our senior night. I know our kids are going to be fired up. I know they are going to do the best they can."

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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