PUEBLO, Colo. (January 4, 2019) – Colorado State University-Pueblo Swimming & Diving will embark on their annual training trip as the ThunderWolves compete at the ACU Shootout, held at the Phoenix Swim Club Saturday at 2:15 p.m. (MTN).
In what has become an annual tradition for the Pack, they will spend the week training in Arizona and swimming outdoors. The Pack last competed in Arizona during their training trip in 2016 where they finished first in the Citrus Classic. Saturday's meet will be hosted by Arizona Christian University.
CSU-Pueblo last competed Dec.8 when the Pack lost to Colorado College 131-112. However, the ThunderWolves improved their score against the Tigers by 50 points from last year's dual.
Natalie Rotondo (Fr., Aurora, Colo.) earned the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Swimmer of the Week award for the first time in her career thanks to three wins against Colorado College. Rotondo took first in the 200 free with a time of 2:03.16. She also claimed first in the 100 fly (1:00.86) and the 100 back (1:04.01). Rotondo leads the Pack with six individual wins this season.
Julia Whitfield (Fr., Wichita, Kan.) collected two wins of her own against the Tigers. Whitfield touched the wall with the top time of 25.31 in the 50 free. She returned to take first in the 100 free (55.15). Whitfield swam the first leg of the Pack's 200 free relay team that won by three seconds.
Alyssa Grunloh (Fr., Round Rock, Texas),
April McDonough, and
Phoebe Pontious completed that first place relay team.
McDonough (Sr., Frisco, Texas) picked up her first win of the season with a win in the 1000 free (11:34.34). She won the event by 15 seconds. She took second in the 500 free, finishing less than a second behind first place.
Pontious (Jr., Caledonia, Mich.) placed second in both the 50 free (25.35) and 100 free (55.58). She touched the wall less than half- a-second behind Whitfield in both events. Pontious has three wins and five runner-up finishes this season.
Arianna Rohde (Sr., Anchorage, Alaska) took second in the 100 back (1:04.52) against the Tigers. She placed third in the 100 fly (1:01.83) to collect her first top three finishes of the season.
This weekend's meet will also mark a return home for
Bristyn Croswhite (So., Tempe, Ariz.) and
Shion Ienaga (So., Phoenix, Ariz.). Croswhite swam a career-best 2:19.29 to take 10th in the 200 fly at A3 Performance Invite earlier this season.
Jade Irick (Sr., Idaho Falls Idaho) and
Madison Ortega (Fr., Pueblo West, Colo.) will look to make a splash in the diving competition. In her first season diving, Irick has improved her scores each time out. Ortega has three wins in her first season.
After training in Arizona for the week, the Pack will resume RMAC play next week with two showdowns against both Adams State University and University of Nebraska Kearney. The Pack will face those two squads Friday in Alamosa, Colo., before returning home Saturday Jan .12 at 10 a.m.
– 30 –
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics
