KEARNEY, Neb. (Nov. 6, 2026) – Colorado State University Pueblo senior Laci Denn etched her name into the record books Friday evening, setting a new meet record in the 400-yard individual medley to highlight the ThunderWolves' opening day of competition at the 2026 UNK Invite, hosted by the University of Nebraska at Kearney at Kearney High School.

Denn's record-setting performance highlighted an impressive showing for the ThunderWolves, who recorded three individual podium finishes, including one event victory, along with several top-10 finishes against a competitive six-team field.

Through the opening day of competition, CSU Pueblo sits in fourth place with 228 points. Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Western Colorado leads the team standings with 762 points, followed by host Nebraska-Kearney in second with 296.5 points and Nebraska Wesleyan in third with 269.5 points. Iowa Western Community College is fifth with 134 points, while Midland University rounds out the field with 21 points.

Denn Makes History in 400 IM

The highlight of Friday's action came in the 400-yard individual medley, where Denn delivered a record-breaking performance to capture the event title.

The senior touched the wall in 4:44.07, establishing a new UNK Invite meet record and surpassing the previous mark held by former CSU Pueblo swimmer Paola C Wu.

In addition to breaking the record previously held by a fellow ThunderWolf, Denn secured the victory in a tightly contested race against Western Colorado's Madi McFadden, who finished runner-up in 4:44.72. Denn's winning margin was just 0.65 seconds, while Nebraska-Kearney's Libby Barney rounded out the top three in 4:46.21.

Denn opened the race with a 29.58-second butterfly split before completing the backstroke portion of the event in 1:12.32. She followed with a 1:23.01 breaststroke leg and closed the final 100 yards of freestyle in 1:05.28 to secure the victory.

The performance added another accomplishment to Denn's collegiate career, with the senior continuing a tradition of strong individual medley performances by CSU Pueblo swimmers at the UNK Invite.

Denn was not finished following her record-breaking swim, as she returned to the pool in the 200-yard backstroke and recorded a sixth-place finish with a time of 2:13.37.

Dannhaus, Reyes Add Podium Finishes

Joining Denn with podium performances on Friday were senior Olivia Dannhaus and sophomore Andy Reyes, who each secured third-place finishes in their respective events.

Dannhaus delivered one of the Pack's strongest performances of the evening in the 200-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 2:28.50 to finish third overall. Western Colorado claimed the top two positions, with Kayla Knifong winning the event in 2:27.76 and Mia Brown finishing second in 2:28.32.

Dannhaus finished just 0.74 seconds behind the event winner and 0.18 seconds behind Brown for second place.

Earlier in the session, Dannhaus joined Denn among the top finishers in the 400-yard individual medley, placing seventh with a time of 4:50.43. Her seventh-place effort gave CSU Pueblo two swimmers among the top seven in the event.

Reyes provided the ThunderWolves with another podium finish in the 200-yard butterfly, placing third with a time of 2:16.33. Western Colorado's Adessa Talbot won the event in 2:11.48, followed by teammate Jaylen Lembas in second at 2:15.88.

Reyes opened the race with a 30.03-second split and followed with a 33.93-second second 50 before finishing third in the competitive field.

The sophomore also led CSU Pueblo's distance swimmers, finishing seventh in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 18:35.03. Western Colorado's Maggie Hansel captured the event title in 17:42.12.

Reyes also recorded a fifth-place finish in the 1,000-yard freestyle, clocking a time of 11:09.98. Freshman Sarah Fransson joined her in the event, placing 12th in 11:34.02.

Fransson added a 10th-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 19:08.90.

Pack Finds Success in Individual Events

CSU Pueblo showcased its depth in the 400-yard individual medley, placing four swimmers among the top 12 competitors.

In addition to Denn's first-place finish and Dannhaus' seventh-place performance, freshman Lexie Musslewhite finished 11th with a time of 4:54.26, while junior Aline Gutierrez placed 12th in 4:57.41.

The ThunderWolves also placed three swimmers among the top 12 in the 200-yard breaststroke.

Behind Dannhaus' third-place finish, freshman Emily Morgantini recorded a 10th-place performance with a time of 2:35.96, while Gutierrez followed in 12th place with a time of 2:38.69.

Morgantini added another top-10 finish in the 50-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 32.30 seconds to place eighth overall.

In the backstroke events, senior Greta Laborde Lagrave paced CSU Pueblo in the 50-yard backstroke, securing a fifth-place finish with a time of 28.59 seconds. Sophomore Beth Lalley placed 16th in 29.52 seconds.

The Pack also had four swimmers finish among the top 15 in the 200-yard backstroke. Along with Denn's sixth-place performance, Lalley finished 13th in 2:15.85, Musslewhite placed 14th in 2:16.23, and Laborde Lagrave followed immediately behind in 15th with a time of 2:16.25.

The results gave the ThunderWolves multiple scoring performances across the individual medley, breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke and distance freestyle events.

ThunderWolves Compete in Relay Events

CSU Pueblo also turned in competitive performances in Friday's two relay events, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay.

The ThunderWolves' top quartet of Laborde Lagrave, Dannhaus, Denn and Reyes combined to finish in 4:05.71.

Nebraska Wesleyan captured the event title with a time of 3:59.23, while Western Colorado claimed second and third with times of 4:03.12 and 4:03.86, respectively.

The ThunderWolves' second 400-yard medley relay team, consisting of Musslewhite, Morgantini, Lalley and Gutierrez, finished 10th overall with a time of 4:13.48.

In the 400-yard freestyle relay, the CSU Pueblo quartet of Denn, Reyes, Morgantini and Laborde Lagrave combined for an eighth-place finish with a time of 3:49.95.

Denn led off the relay with a 56.06-second leg, followed by Reyes in 56.19, Morgantini in 1:01.48 and Laborde Lagrave in 56.22.

The Pack's second relay team, consisting of Lalley, Dannhaus, Gutierrez and Musslewhite, placed 15th with a time of 3:56.48.

Nebraska Wesleyan won the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:33.08, followed by Western Colorado in second at 3:38.40 and Iowa Western in third at 3:41.90.

Up Next

The ThunderWolves will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 7, for the second and final day of the 2026 UNK Invite in Kearney, Nebraska.

CSU Pueblo will look to build upon Friday's performances as the Pack continues its 2026-27 campaign, highlighted by Denn's record-setting victory and three individual podium finishes on the opening day.