Women's Swimming | 11/14/2023 2:40:00 PM

Utah Tech will close out the 2023 team portion of its season slate by hosting the Third-Annual Trailblazer Invitational.
 
The three-day meet will be held this Thursday-through Saturday at the UT HPC Pool. The meet will begin each day with morning preliminary sessions at 10 a.m., followed by evening finals sessions at 5 p.m. 
 
The Trailblazers will swim against fellow WAC foe California Baptist, along with teams from Cal Poly, UC Davis, UC San Diego, Fresno State, Nevada and Pacific. In addition, CBU, Cal Poly, UC San Diego and Pacific will compete in a four-team men's dual meet.
 
Live streaming for all three days will be available online at WACInternational.tv. All session passes and single day tickets for this weekend's meet can be purchased at the UT HPC Pool, or online at utahtech.evenue.net.
 
COACHING STAFF: Utah Tech alumnus Shawn King was named the fourth head coach for the Utah Tech women's swimming program this past August 19. 
        Coach King, who also served as an assistant coach with the Trailblazer program during the 2020-21 season, arrived back at his alma mater after spending the past two years as an assistant men's and women's swim coach at BYU. While with the Cougars' program, he served as the distance coach and the men's team recruiting coordinator.
        In his first season at BYU, Coach King helped guide the Cougar men's team to repeat as MPSF conference champions, leading a resurgent BYU distance program to its highest finishes in the last 10 years. Successes from that season included three of the top five finishes in the women's 1650 at the MPSF conference meet, and new BYU team records for the men's 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyle. King also helped freshman standout Tanner Nelson to MPSF Freshman of the Year honors, and NCAA qualification in the 400 IM.
        Coach King continued to build on that success during the 2022-2023 season, during which he helped lead the BYU men's team to its third-consecutive MPSF championship. King also helped further the development of the BYU distance program, adding new BYU all-time top-five performances for men and women in the 200 free, 500 free, and 1650.
        Coach King started his collegiate coaching career at then-Dixie State during the 2020-21 season, during which he served as assistant coach overseeing the distance team. Working with athletes coming through the pandemic and helping guide the Trailblazers during the program's first NCAA Division I transition season, King mentored many of the team's distance swimmers to both career and collegiate best times.
        King has coached athletes from prep levels to the national level with USA Swimming while working with clubs in Utah, Idaho, Texas, Illinois, and Florida. His athletes' accomplishments include multiple Utah state record holders, U.S. national qualifiers, and Division I and Division II collegiate athletes. 
        Coach King is joined poolside by first-year assistant coach Colby Clark.

LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech swimming opened the 2023-24 season with a convincing dual meet victory over the University of San Diego this past Oct. 13, at the USD Sports Center Pool.
        The Trailblazers won 12 of the 13 events on their way to outscoring the Toreros by a 151-125 count. 
        Four Blazers collected two event wins apiece, starting with senior Eleonore Rembert, who set the tone for the day by touching the wall first in the 100-meter back with a time of 56.89. Rembert followed that up later with a victory in the 200 back with a winning time of 2:03.18.
        Junior Skyler Lyon followed suit with a clean sweep in both breaststroke races, claiming victory in 100 in a time of 1:04.91, before winning the 200 in a time of 2:23.73.
        Two freshmen also got into the act, beginning with Abby Hill, who won both the 100 fly with a 57.74, followed by clocking the seventh-fastest mark in program history in the 200 fly with a time of 2:06.57.
        Meanwhile, fellow freshman Cera Mallory recorded the fifth-fastest 1,650 free time in school history to win that race (17:18.51), then followed that up with a victory in the 500 free (5:06.90).
        Not to be outdone, freshman Grace Benson made the most of her Trailblazer debut by winning the 200 IM (2:08.78), while sophomore Natalia Zmierczak (1:55.20) and junior Mandy Farnum (53.84) both claimed victories in the 200 free and 100 free, respectively.
        In addition, Utah Tech swept the top-two spots in the 400 free relay, with the team of Benson, Rembert, Zmierczak and Farnum picking up the win in a time of 3:34.41.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will return to its 2023-24 meet schedule on Saturday, January 20, with a home dual meet against WAC foe Idaho.