Over the weekend, the DU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed in the 2021 Summit League championship at the Hulbert Aquatic Center in West Fargo, N.D. The championship commenced on Thursday and wrapped up on Saturday. Though the men had a few podium finishes, the women were the stars of the weekend, capturing their eighth-straight conference title.
On Thursday, the women jumped out on top with a commanding 159 point lead over South Dakota State by the end of the day. DU won the 200 free relay and took four of the top five spots in both the 100 fly and 500 freestyle.
The Crimson and Gold also took all top three spots in the 200 IM, with senior Emily Vandenberg (Ajax, Ontario) claiming the number one spot. In diving, freshman Olivia Gordon (Las Vegas, Nev.) earned 17 points on the 1-meter dive, putting her in second place in the finals session.
The men also saw some early success on Thursday. The highlights included taking the top two spots in the 500 freestyle as well as freshman Knox Williams (Fort Collins, Colo.) taking second place in the 100 fly. The team ended the day in third place.
On Friday, the women won the 200 medley relay, their first of what would be three relay wins of the evening. Denver swept the 400 IM, with Vandenberg taking the top spot. Sophomore Sophia Bricker (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and junior Brandi Vu (Longmont, Colo.) took the top two spots in the 100 breaststroke. Gordon won the Summit League championship in the 3-meter dive prior to the team winning the 800 free, the final relay of the night.
The men opened the night with a second-place finish in the 200 medley with an all-freshman quartet. Sophomore Riley Babson (Vail, Ariz.) took gold in the 400 IM to kick off the individual events, while freshman Kelby Modene (Maple Grove, Minn.) gave Denver another individual event win with his time of 55.67 taking the 100 breast title. The men capped off their night with a victory in the 800 free relay.
On Saturday, the women won seven more events to help secure the championship victory. Vandenberg was named Women’s Swimming MVP, and Gordon was named the diver of the championship. The victory in the 400 free relay capped the quest for an eighth straight conference title for DU.
On the men’s side, freshman Mads Rishøj (Ballerup, Denmark) won the mile race before being named the Men’s Newcomer of the Championship. Babson finished in second behind Rishøj. After taking two podium spots in the 200 breaststroke, Denver closed out its meet with a second-place finish in the 400 free relay. They ended up third overall, behind South Dakota and South Dakota State.
Though the swimming and diving teams had a tough year and did not experience much success against non-conference opponents in the regular season, this weekend’s championship events are a sign of brighter days ahead for the program.
