MALIBU, Calif. (Oct. 10, 2026) – The Colorado State University Pueblo women's swimming and diving team opened the 2026-27 season with an impressive performance on the West Coast, finishing first among NCAA Division II programs at the Rodionoff Invitational, hosted by Pepperdine University at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.
Competing in the Division II portion of the two-day invitational, the ThunderWolves totaled 330.5 points to finish ahead of Westmont College (284) and Concordia University Irvine (124.5).
The Pack's 330.5 points also represented the highest team point total recorded across the invitational's separately scored NCAA Division I, II and III women's divisions.
CSU Pueblo's strong start was highlighted by eight individual event victories, three relay wins, and a memorable return to diving for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Leading the charge for the ThunderWolves was senior Laci Denn, who captured two individual first-place finishes in the Division II field. Denn won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:11.88 before adding another victory in the 400-yard individual medley, touching the wall in 4:43.46.
Senior Olivia Dannhaus joined Denn near the top of the 400 IM standings, finishing runner-up in 4:45.29 to give the ThunderWolves a one-two finish in the event.
Dannhaus also collected an individual victory of her own, winning the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:25.79. She added a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.64) and a third-place showing in the 200-yard individual medley (2:13.61).
Freshman Jenna MacDougall made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut, claiming two individual victories. MacDougall captured the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 53.53 before adding another first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing in 1:57.51.
The Pack also enjoyed success in the sprint freestyle events, as Angela Pantke captured first place in the Division II 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.48. MacDougall followed closely in second place at 25.50, while Aria Chase placed fourth in 25.86.
Pantke also finished third in the 100-yard freestyle (54.67), while Chase placed fourth (55.17), giving CSU Pueblo three of the top four finishers in the event.
One of the weekend's biggest storylines came on the diving boards, as freshman Autumn Zumpf helped usher in the return of diving to the ThunderWolves program.
Competing in CSU Pueblo's first season with divers on the roster since 2019-20, Zumpf swept both Division II diving competitions, capturing the 1-meter event with 221.05 points and the 3-meter event with 201.15 points.
The return of diving, which also features Emma During, provides the ThunderWolves with an additional opportunity to accumulate valuable team points throughout the season.
The ThunderWolves also showcased their depth in the relay events, collecting three first-place finishes among Division II programs throughout the weekend.
CSU Pueblo opened the invitational with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay, as Pantke, MacDougall, Greta Laborde Lagrave and Chase combined for a winning time of 1:41.05.
The Pack added another victory in the 400-yard medley relay, as Chase, Dannhaus, Andrea Reyes and Pantke teamed up to finish in 4:06.56, edging Westmont's runner-up time of 4:07.75.
CSU Pueblo's third relay victory came in the 200-yard medley relay, where Lexie Musslewhite, Emily Morgantini, Denn and MacDougall combined for a first-place time of 1:51.91.
Several other ThunderWolves delivered strong individual performances that helped propel CSU Pueblo to the top of the Division II standings.
Beth Lalley enjoyed an impressive weekend, finishing runner-up in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:00.79. Lalley also placed third in the 200-yard backstroke (2:12.06) and fourth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:14.57).
Reyes provided valuable points in the distance freestyle events, finishing second in both the 500-yard freestyle (5:19.34) and the 1,000-yard freestyle (11:00.90).
Aline Gutierrez added a third-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly (2:18.17), while Morgantini placed third in both the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.18) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:29.61).
Musslewhite also contributed to the Pack's strong showing, finishing fifth in the 100-yard backstroke (1:02.54) and sixth in the 200-yard backstroke (2:12.93).
The ThunderWolves' depth proved to be a difference-maker throughout the two-day competition, as CSU Pueblo consistently placed multiple swimmers among the top finishers in the Division II field.
The season-opening performance provides an encouraging start for a ThunderWolves squad that entered the 2026-27 campaign selected sixth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
With a talented returning core and several newcomers making immediate contributions, CSU Pueblo wasted little time making a statement in its first competition of the season.
After finishing as the top-scoring Division II program at the Rodionoff Invitational, the ThunderWolves will look to carry their early-season momentum into the remainder of the 2026-27 schedule as they continue preparations for Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference competition.
