Men’s and women’s swim teams sweep Western Illinois

After a delay, cancellation and rescheduling, the University of South Dakota men’s and women’s swimming and diving meet was held at the DakotaDome Sunday morning. The Coyotes took on Summit League rival Western Illinois.

“We’ve had a month off since our last meet, so we have to get back here and get into race mode again,” head coach Jason Mahowald said. “It was difficult as the meet was delayed, postponed and rescheduled all in one day and our team did not have any time in the water yesterday, the day before a meet, which is unusual.”

The women saw success as they defeated the Bulldogs 208-82. Senior Linay McCrady finished strong for the team today, as she took first place in the 800- and 400-meter free style races. McCrady added 18 points to the team total with her strong swimming today. Junior Paige Stavely also added 18 points to the women’s total, as she placed first in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke.

The men’s score was close, as it came down to the last two races. Junior Colin Krysl and sophomore Ian Ford placed first and second, respectively, in the 200-meter individual medley. While Western Illinois placed first in the men’s 400-meter freestyle relay, USD’s two relay teams came in second and third. This helped the Coyote men to slip by the Bulldogs with a 158-142 win.

“The team’s focus was really good today,” Mahowald said. “They performed really well, and our front end speed has gotten better. We look a little crisper, like we were a little more prepared.”

The team will head to North Dakota next weekend to take on the Fighting Sioux. This will be the team’s last conference match before heading to the Minnesota Tournament then the Summit League Championship.