Trailblazer Swimming Closes 2022-23 Regular Season at UNLV on Saturday

By: UT Athletics Media Relations

Stan Plewe/Utah Tech Athletics

Women's Swimming | 2/8/2023 3:07:00 PM

Utah Tech will close out the 2022-23 regular season this Saturday, Feb. 11, when the Trailblazers travel to Las Vegas to swim at the UNLV First Chance Invite. The meet, which starts at 11 a.m. (PT) at the Rebels' Buchanan Natatorium, will serve as the Trailblazers' final tune-up for the 2023 WAC Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.

UT COACHING STAFF: Dan Kesler is in his second season as head coach of the Utah Tech women's swimming program.
Coach Kesler came to St. George after two years as associate head men's and women's swimming coach at Florida State. While at FSU, he worked with the middle distance and stroke groups, and helped lead both Seminole programs to fifth-place finishes at the ACC Championships last spring.
            Prior to his time in Tallahassee, he had a seven-year stint as an assistant coach at Arizona State (2012-19), where he worked with the distance and middle distance groups while serving as the recruiting coordinator. Kesler spent his final four years working under FSU alum Bob Bowman – who is best known for coaching the most decorated Olympian of all-time, Michael Phelps.
            Kesler began his collegiate coaching career at Division II Wingate University, at which he served five years as the top assistant men's and women's swimming coach overseeing the mid-distance and distance swimmers. Kesler also served on the NCAA D-II top-25 poll selection committee for the 2011-2012 season. While at Wingate, he helped lead the men's team to five-straight Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship titles, and to several top-six finishes at the NCAA Division II national championship meets.
            Following a stellar high school career, Kesler swam collegiately at North Carolina State from 2000-03, where he served as team captain as a junior and was an ACC finalist in the distance events.
            A native of Westminster, Md., Kesler was also a 2000 Olympic Trials qualifier while representing Green Terror (MD) Aquatic Club.
            Coach Kesler is joined poolside by first-year assistant coach Hailey Garlich.

LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech combined to break four school records and claimed six event victories in the Trailblazers' final home dual meet of the season against Northern Arizona on Senior Day this past Jan. 28.
            A week after she won three individual events and shattered two school records, junior Pia Murray duplicated that feat vs. the Lumberjacks. Murray swept both backstroke races, breaking her own school record time in the 100-yard race with a time of 53.87, which also bettered her top mark in the Western Athletic Conference in that event by 0.04 seconds.
            Murray then won the 200 back with a time of 1:58.27 (#4 all-time at UT), before she broke her school record in the 100 butterfly with a winning time of 54.18.
            Meanwhile, freshman Ikea Losey posted event victories in both the 50 free (23.70, #3 all-time at UT) and the 100 free (51.20; t-#3 all-time at UT).
            In addition, the Trailblazers came away with seven runner-up showing, highlighted by freshman Lily Magda shattering the school record in the 1,000 free by more than seven seconds with a second-place 10:13.86. Magda also took second in the 500 free, touching the wall in a time of 5:01.10 (#8 all-time at UT).
            Junior Eleonore Rembert also picked up a pair second-place finishes in the 100 back (55.32; #9 all-time at UT) and the 200 IM (2:06.94; #7 all-time at UT). Fellow junior Skyler Lyon also claimed a runner-up finish in the 100 breast (1:03.68), as did sophomores Mandy Farnum (24.28) in the 50 free and Reese Hazan (1:59.69; #2 all-time at UT) in the 200 fly.
            In the relays, the Utah Tech 400 medley relay "A" team of Rembert, Lyon, Murray and Losey broke the school record by just over one second with a race-winning time of 3:40.94 (#2 all-time at UT). Then in the last race of the day, the 200 free relay "A" team of sophomore Ally Boynton, Farnum, freshman Natalia Zmierczak and senior Chloe Partsch clocked a 1:35.74 (#7 all-time at UT) to place second.

MURRAY EARNS WAC AWARD: Murray was rewarded for her efforts vs. NAU as she was named Western Athletic Conference Women's Swimmer of the Week on Feb. 1.

TRAILBLAZERS IN THE WAC: Utah Tech owns several top-25 WAC individual marks heading into the final meet of the regular season.
50 Free
11. Ikea Losey – 23.68 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
13. Ally Boynton – 23.77 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
24. Mandy Farnum – 24.14 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

100 Free
4. Ikea Losey – 50.61 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
8. Chloe Partsch – 51.20 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
18. Natalia Zmierczak – 52.33 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

200 Free
5. Ikea Losey – 1:50.08 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
13. Natalia Zmierczak – 1:51.71 (vs. NAU Dual)
19. Gabbie Adams – 1:53.38 (vs. NAU Dual)

500 Free
13. Paulina Sansores – 4:58.54 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
17. Ginevra Molino – 4:59.46 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
19. Lily Magda – 5:00.56 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

1,000 Free
3. Lily Magda – 10:13.86 (vs. NAU Dual)
6. Ginevra Molino – 10:22.00 (at San Diego State Dual)
10. Paulina Sansores – 10:29.54 (at Idaho Dual)

1,650 Free
3. Lily Magda – 17:01.17 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

50 Back
3. Eleonore Rembert – 25.47 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
9. Pia Murray – 26.28 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
10. Reese Hazan – 26.35 (vs. Idaho Dual)
15. Ally Boynton – 26.79 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

100 Back
1. Pia Murray – 53.87 (vs. NAU Dual)
2. Eleonore Rembert – 54.33 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
7. Ally Boynton – 55.43 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
10. Reese Hazan – 56.10 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

200 Back
1. Pia Murray – 1:55.99 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
2. Ally Boynton – 1:56.56 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
6. Eleonore Rembert – 1:59.80 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

50 Breast
3. Skyler Lyon – 29.51 (at Idaho Dual)
21. Lily Magda – 30.66 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
25. Ava Gemma – 31.18 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

100 Breast
5. Skyler Lyon – 1:03.29 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
18. Lily Magda – 1:05.07 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

200 Breast
15. Skyler Lyon – 2:20.51 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
19. Lily Magda – 2:22.59 (at Idaho Dual)
21. Paulina Sansores – 2:2 4:13 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

50 Fly
4. Pia Murray – 25.40 (at Idaho Dual)
17. Reese Hazan – 26.27 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
23. Tavia Stemmons – 26.59 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

100 Fly
4. Pia Murray – 54.18 (vs. NAU Dual)
9. Reese Hazan – 55.49 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
23. Chloe Partsch – 56.99 (vs. NAU Dual)

200 Fly
2. Reese Hazan – 1:59.52 (at Idaho Dual)

200 IM
16. Eleonore Rembert – 2:06.32 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
21. Ginevra Molino – 2:07.34 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

400 IM
4. Ginevra Molino – 4:21.69 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
13. Lily Magda – 4:31.44 (vs. NAU Dual)
20. Paulina Sansores – 4:34.38 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will prepare for the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Swim and Dive Championships, which will be held on Feb. 22-25, in Pharr, Texas.

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