Scott Kretzmann
ASC Sports
Information Director
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Grizzly swimmers concluded their stay at the 2011 Colorado Mesa Invitational on Sunday, where the women’s team placed fourth in the five team field and saw freshman Maggie Morris (Colorado Springs, Colo.) win the 50 yard freestyle in a new meet record time at El Pomar Natatorium.
The host Mavericks claimed the combined team title as well as both the women’s and men’s titles at the meet, as the combined team standings and women’s team standings mirrored each other. The Colorado Mesa women won with a score of 1,385.5 points, ahead of the 567 points of women’s runner-up Colorado Mines. The University of Colorado-Boulder just edged out the Grizzly women for third place, 516-514.5, while the Metro State club rounded out the women’s field with 219 points.
Morris’ winning time in the 50 free on Sunday of 25.47 seconds was nearly a half second ahead of her closest competitor. It was also the Grizzlies only first place finish of the 2-day event.
In addition, Morris set a big school record in the 50 yard breaststroke, where her time of 33.34 seconds in the prelims was well under the prior ASC mark of 37.21. She was also well under the old standard with a time of 33.60 seconds in the final, good for fifth place, and leading a pack of three Grizzlies to dip under the old mark.
Eight total program records were recorded over the two days action.
Sophomore Jennell Higgs (Socorro, N.M.) posted three, including the 200 yard butterfly, 400 yard individual medley and 1,650 yard freestyle. Her 2:16.02 time in the 200 fly re-set her own record by over a second, and garnered a runner-up finish. She later finished third in the 400 IM, an event an in which the Grizzlies had no prior top mark. With a time of 4:52.57, Higgs finished just three seconds of the meet record performance of Cayla Wood of Colorado Mines. Higgs capped her weekend by shattering Adams State’s 1,650 free record by nearly a minute, cutting the mark of 20:04.59 to 19:08.55. The finish was her second individual runner-up finish. She was joined in going under the prior program record by freshman Jordan Shomaker (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who posted a time of 19:37.55 for fourth.
Sophomore Jessica Palacio (Albuquerque, N.M.) also re-set one of her own records, lowering the 50 yard backstroke mark to 29.62 seconds.
A trio of relay marks were lowered as well, in the 400 free relay, the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay.
Adams State will now take a weekend off before concluding the 2011 portion of its schedule on Dec. 3, swimming duals against Colorado Mines and Colorado College in Colorado Springs. That will be the Grizzlies’ last action before hosting their lone home event of the season, a dual against the Orediggers at Plachy Hall on Jan. 8, 2012.
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