Women's Swimming | 1/23/2025 11:52:00 AM
Utah Tech wraps up its 2024-25 dual meet season this weekend with a two-day home WAC dual against Northern Arizona at the HPC Pool. Friday's opening day of events featuring all relays races will begin at 6:30 p.m. (MT), while Saturday's slate of events will start at 11 a.m. (MT).
This weekend's meet will also serve as the final home meet for three seniors –
Mandy Farnum,
Ginevra Molino, and
Paulina Sansores.
COACHING STAFF: Utah Tech alumnus Shawn King is in his second season as head coach of the Trailblazer program.
In his first season poolside at Utah Tech, he guided the team to its second fastest season in school history, breaking seven school records, while collecting three All-WAC honors. In addition, the Trailblazers combined to post 75% life best times in competed events during the season.
Utah Tech also performed in the classroom, as the team earned CSCAA Division I Scholar All-America honors with a cumulative 3.79 GPA.
Coach King is joined poolside by second-year assistant coach Colby Clark.
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech closed its regular season road dual meet schedule with a two-meet trip to The Palouse last weekend.
The Trailblazers combined for one school record and several season-best marks at Washington State last Friday night.
Cera Mallory accounted for the Blazers' new school record in the first individual race of the meet, the 1,650-yard freestyle, as she posted the first sub-17 minute time in program history with a fourth-place 16:59.96. The sophomore bettered the previous school record by more than five seconds.
Mallory would later clock the eighth-fastest time in Utah Tech history in the 200 breast with a runner-up 2:17.88.
Fellow sophomore
Grace Benson also came away with a runner-up showing in the 100 IM with a team season-best time of 58.56, which was also the fourth-fastest mark in program history.
In addition,
Mary Sims Cross posted Utah Tech's season-best time in the 200 back with a third-place 2:02.65, while
Alyssa Gordon swam the team's top season mark in the 400 IM at 4:27.16, and
Gabby Henry clocked the Blazers' season-best time in the 200 fly with a 2:05.28.
Utah Tech then closed the night with its top season time in the 200 free relay, with
Mandy Farnum, Henry,
Natalia Zmierczak and Benson combining to post a third place 1:36.62.
In all, 19 total season best marks were established during the 11-event dual meet.
The Blazers quickly returned to action on Saturday morning with a WAC dual at Idaho. Fresh off her school-record breaking effort in the 1650-yard free a night earlier at WSU, Mallory claimed victory in the 500 free by more than six seconds with a time of 5:05.42.
Mallory (1:54.97) also placed third in the 200 free earlier in the day, just behind Zmierczak, who touched the wall in second at 1:54.62. Zmierczak went on to take runner-up honors later in the 200 free with a time of 53.51.
In all, Utah Tech came away with six runner-up finishes on the day, including
Allie Hayes in the 200 IM (2:10.66),
Abby Hill in the 100 fly (58.66), and Cross in the 100 back (58.51).
The Trailblazers then closed the day with a second place finish in the 400 free relay as the team of Mallory,
Dani Cannon, Zmierczak and Farnum combined to clock a 3:31.65.
TRAILBLAZERS IN THE WAC: Utah Tech owns several top-30 WAC individual marks heading into the final two meets of the 2024-25 regular season.
50 Free
T-6.
Mandy Farnum – 23.45 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
27.
Gabby Henry – 24.05 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
100 Free
22.
Mandy Farnum – 51.90 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
200 Free
11.
Cera Mallory – 1:51.17 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
29.
Natalia Zmierczak – 1:53.17 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
500 Free
12.
Cera Mallory – 4:58.70 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
1,000 Free
5.
Cera Mallory – 10:14.46 (at Washington State Dual)
26.
Kaiya Lawson – 10:54.09 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
28.
Paulina Sansores – 11:01.67 (at Washington State Dual)
30.
Jenna Tracy – 11:05.85 (at Pepperdine Rodionoff Inv'l)
1,650 Free
6.
Cera Mallory – 16:59.96 (at Washington State Dual)
19.
Kaiya Lawson – 17:55.32 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
21.
Paulina Sansores – 18:24.44 (at Washington State Dual)
50 Back
5.
Mary Sims Cross – 26.15 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
25.
Dani Cannon – 27.10 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
100 Back
1. Mary Sims Cross – 55.00 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
30.
Dani Cannon – 57.68 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
200 Back
11.
Mary Sims Cross – 2:02.65 (at Washington State Dual)
20.
Dani Cannon – 2:05.46 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
26.
Allie Hayes – 2:06.12 (at Washington State Dual)
50 Breast
19.
Grace Benson – 30.44 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
22.
Yara Olsen – 30.53 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
28.
Jenna Tracy – 30.98 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
100 Breast
12.
Yara Olsen – 1:03.88 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
17.
Grace Benson – 1:04.85 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
24.
Alyssa Gordon – 1:05.54 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
27.
Jenna Tracy – 1:06.04 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
200 Breast
6.
Cera Mallory – 2:17.88 (at Washington State Dual)
10.
Alyssa Gordon – 2:19.79 (at Washington State Dual)
14.
Yara Olsen – 2:19.28 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
50 Fly
19.
Gabby Henry – 26.19 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
22.
Mandy Farnum – 26.31 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
100 Fly
16.
Gabby Henry – 55.96 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
22.
Mandy Farnum – 56.35 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
200 Fly
12.
Gabby Henry – 2:05.28 (at Washington State Dual)
16.
Kam Swanson – 2:06.06 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
100 IM
8.
Grace Benson – 58.56 (at Washington State Dual)
200 IM
13.
Allie Hayes – 2:06.31 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
30.
Grace Benson – 2:08.84 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
400 IM
5.
Alyssa Gordon – 4:27.16 (at Washington State Dual)
11.
Allie Hayes – 4:30.33 (at Washington State Dual)
21.
Kaiya Lawson – 4:34.37 (at Utah Tech Trailblazer Inv'l)
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will close out the 2024-25 regular season on Friday, Feb. 14, when the Trailblazers travel to Las Vegas to swim at the UNLV First Chance Invite.
