The student voice of Washington State University since 1895

The Daily Evergreen

The student voice of Washington State University since 1895

The Daily Evergreen

The student voice of Washington State University since 1895

The Daily Evergreen

Cougar Swim takes two wins

Cougs are eager for the Pac 12 competition
WSU+womens+swimmer+in+a+race+during+an+NCAA+women%E2%80%99s+swim+meet+against%2C+University+of+Southern+California%2C+Saturday%2C+Jan.+20%2C+2024%2C+in+Pullman%2C+Wash.
JULIAN CABALLERO
WSU women’s swimmer in a race during an NCAA women’s swim meet against, University of Southern California, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Pullman, Wash.

WSU Swim took on two back-to-back meets this past weekend and came home with the wins in a landslide both times. On Friday the Cougars took on Utah and won 145-117 setting two pool records. On Saturday, the swimmers took on the neighboring vandals taking the win with a whopping 173-115. 

On Friday the squad consisting of Skylar Brgoch, Wright, Angela Di Palo and Selena Duran Ortiz set a Gibb Pool record in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of  3:20.46. Throughout the first meet the team took a resounding eight first-place wins over the Utes. 

“I was not expecting it but I am really thankful for that,” freshman Skylar Brgoch said. “I haven’t gotten a 50 [seconds] in my 100-free yet this season so that was a big surprise in my individual and then going that again in my relay.”

These meets were a big payoff for the Cougars in preparation for the Pac-12 competition. 

On Saturday the Cougars took on the Vandals, getting the (mountain) lion’s share of the first-place wins with 11 first-place wins out of the 14 possible events. 

“After a great win last night over Utah on Senior Night we wanted to make sure we were focused and ready to come into Idaho with a lot of energy and we did that, going 1-2 in the 200 medley relay. We put together some really good wins throughout the day, I thought we did a good job of keeping the focus on getting ready for Pac-12’s and trying to compete at the high level,” head coach Matt Leach said. “We had a solid performance to end the regular season with a pair of wins and will now focus on the Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Championships.”

The Cougars not only had two wins but also celebrated senior night sending the senior swimmers off with a celebration and recognition.

“Our athletic department, the coaching staff, we do a really good job of honoring our seniors,” Leach said. “They get beautiful framed caps as well as action shots for their senior year photos so it really is a good send-off.” 

Leach said the band being there helped to send off the cougars the right way showing them the respect they deserve.

“There is a lot of emotion on Senior night, especially with the seniors last meet but they are really excited with how it went and they are ready for Pac-12’s,” Leach said.

Going into the Pac-12 competition the swimmers are looking to bring home more wins than in previous years taking the rest of these upcoming weeks to prepare and hone their skills before the upcoming meet.

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About the Contributors
PARKER R. SCHAFER, Evergreen columnist
Parker is a sophomore going into Public Relations. He is from Vancouver, Washington (Go Timbers!! Sounders suck). Parker started working for the Evergreen in fall of 2022 and has been an editor for the Evergreen Opinion section and is currently a copy editor. He loves to talk (a bit too much) and is always looking to learn more about anything. They have currently taken back up their role as the WSU swim beat writer and loves attending the meets! He is also fluent in Spanish and is always open to practicing and learning in whatever way he can..
JULIAN CABALLERO
Julian Caballero is a photographer for the Daily Evergreen. He is a junior broadcast production major from Tacoma, Washington. Julian began working for the Daily Evergreen in fall 2022.