Cougar swimming saw three seniors end their college swimming careers on a bright note, defeating the Utah Utes 156.5-105.5 at Gibb Pool on Friday night. The Cougars (6-3, 3-3 in Pac-12) won their sixth consecutive meet to close out the regular season and built momentum heading into postseason play.

The team ended what was a historically-great season for the program. The Cougars earned their best dual-meet record in a season since 2012, and won three conference matches for the first time since 2001.

Head Coach Tom Jager said the win is a result of the team’s tenacious work ethic all season long.

“Utah cranked on us last year,” Jager said. “It took 365 days to try and get the win back, and we got it done tonight due to hard work.”

The team honored seniors Haley Anderson, Ali Mand and Nicole Proulx before the meet for their contributions to the swimming program for the last four years. Anderson said the opportunity to compete in front of the Cougar faithful is something she will never forget.

“It’s always been such a cool energy on meet days,” Anderson said. “It shows that everyone that comes out to support has been there from the beginning, and they’re such great Cougs.”

Proulx and Mand took charge in the meet’s first event, and led the Cougars to a win in the 200-meter medley relay event. Both experience and youth shined bright for the team in the 100-meter freestyle, as Proulx and freshman Hannah Bruggman earned the top two times in the event.

Freshman Rachel Thompson earned a top time in the 200-meter freestyle, while Anderson followed Thompson with a third place finish. The Utes (4-7, 1-5 in Pac-12) then rallied four straight victories, and the Cougars led just 70-61 through the meet’s first seven events.

After the break, junior Loree Olson added to her impressive season with a victory in the 200-meter backstroke. Olson also earned a top finish in the 200-IM race, and ended the meet as the Cougars’ top point contributor by earning 22 points for the team.

Junior Presley Wetterstrom followed with 16 individual points, and earned the top time in the 200-meter breaststroke event. The Cougars secured the victory when freshman Anna Brolin earned a win in the 100-meter butterfly event.

The team ended the meet on a bright note with victories in the 200-meter IM and 400-meter freestyle relays. Proulx said the confidence for the team is high moving towards the team’s next challenge.

“After beating a great team like Utah, you leave the deck with a huge amount of confidence,” Proulx said. “This will prepare us for the Pac-12 Championships and what’s next to come.

The Cougars will take a short one-week break before traveling to Federal Way, Washington for the Pac-12 Championships on Feb. 25-28.