Women's Swimming | 1/25/2024 11:32:00 AM

Utah Tech returns to competition this weekend when the Trailblazers travel to Flagstaff to take on WAC foe Northern Arizona in a two-day dual meet. Friday's opening day of events will begin at 4 p.m. (MT) at the NAU Wall Aquatic Center, while Saturday's slate of races will start at 11 a.m. (MT).  
 
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 claimed 11 event victories in the Trailblazers' final home dual meet of the season against WAC foe Idaho on Senior Day last Saturday at the HPC Pool. The Trailblazers won nine of the 12 individual races, and swept both relays, on their way to outscoring the Vandals by a 155-104 count. 
        Though it was Senior Day, the Blazers were led by four freshmen who all collected two event wins apiece. Cera Mallory set the tone for the morning with a dominant performance in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a winning time of 17:05.05 (#2 all-time at Utah Tech). Mallory, who was named WAC Swimmer of the Week on Wednesday, followed that up later with a victory in the 500 free with a time of 5:08.98.
        Meanwhile, Mary Sims Cross swept both the 100 (57.39) and 200 (2:06.25) backstroke events, as did Abigail Hill in the 100 (57.27) and 200 (2:05.75; #9 all-time at Utah Tech) butterfly races. Grace Benson also claimed a pair of event victories in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.82) and 200 IM (2:09.02). 
        Senior Skyler Lyon picked up a win in her final home individual race as she touched the wall first in the 200 breast (2:23.95).
        In the relays, the Utah Tech "A" team of senior Eleonore Rembert, Lyon, senior Danyael Cuison and junior Mandy Farnum swam its way to victory in the 200 medley relay (1:45.33; #10 all-time at Utah Tech). Then in the final event of the meet, the team of Mallory, freshman Lainey Devine, Rembert and Farnum coasted to a win in the 400 free relay (3:32.99). 
 
TRAILBLAZERS IN THE WAC: Utah Tech owns several top-30 WAC individual marks heading into the final two meets of the regular season.
50 Free
16. Mandy Farnum – 23.79 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
22. Eleonore Rembert – 23.90 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
26. Natalia Zmierczak – 23.97 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
27. Sorina Rom – 23.99 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
100 Free
T-23. Lainey Devine – 52.19 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
T-23. Mandy Farnum – 52.19 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
29. Natalia Zmierczak – 52.26 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
30. Grace Benson – 52.27 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
200 Free
17. Natalia Zmierczak – 1:52.13 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
500 Free
17. Paulina Sansores – 5:02.58 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
21. Cera Mallory – 5:06.48 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
1,000 Free
5. Cera Mallory – 10:17.55 (vs. Idaho Dual)
24. Kaiya Lawson – 10:59.28 (vs. Idaho Dual)
 
1,650 Free
6. Cera Mallory – 17:05.05 (vs. Idaho Dual)
19. Kaiya Lawson – 18:15.30 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
22. Paulina Sansores – 18:33.74 (at San Diego Dual)
 
50 Back
4. Eleonore Rembert – 26.01 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
8. Mary Sims Cross – 26.60 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
100 Back
3. Eleonore Rembert – 55.09 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
7. Mary Sims Cross – 55.66 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
200 Back
11. Mary Sims Cross – 2:01.71 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
16. Eleonore Rembert – 2:03.18 (at San Diego Dual)
 
50 Breast
5. Skyler Lyon – 29.59 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
12. Grace Benson – 30.40 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
28. Sorina Rom – 31.65 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
29. Ellianne Effland – 31.71 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
100 Breast
5. Skyler Lyon – 1:03.46 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
11. Grace Benson – 1:04.22 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
25. Sorina Rom – 1:06.65 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
200 Breast
13. Skyler Lyon – 2:21.33 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
25. Ellianne Effland – 2:26.14 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
50 Fly
17. Danyael Cuison – 26.84 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
18. Mandy Farnum – 26.87 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
29. Abigail Hill – 27.33 (at San Diego Dual)
 
100 Fly
11. Abigail Hill – 56.65 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
17. Danyael Cuison – 57.15 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
18. Tavia Stemmons – 57.27 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
28. Mandy Farnum – 57.92 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
200 Fly
13. Abigail Hill – 2:04.94 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
200 IM
7. Mary Sims Cross – 2:04.52 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
22. Grace Benson – 2:06.22 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
400 IM
19. Kaiya Lawson – 4:37.02 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
21. Ellianne Effland – 4:37.76 (at UT Trailblazer Inv'l)
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will close out the 2023-24 regular season on Friday, Feb. 16, when the Trailblazers travel to Las Vegas to swim at the UNLV First Chance Invite.