MANKATO, Minn. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's swimming & diving team opened the 2012-13 season competing against NCAA Division II opponent MSU-Mankato tonight.
While the Blugolds came up short 178-118, they had a number of strong performances with 23 Blugolds finishing in the top three in a total of 16 events.
Freshman diver Amanda Baker (Hudson, Wis.) highlighted the Blugolds' opening meet by winning both the one and three-meter diving events. She took first in the three-meter with a score of 215.55 after winning the one-meter with a mark of 229.10.
The Blugolds came away with nine second-place finishes.
Sara Eggebrecht (Sr.-Abbotsford, Wis./Colby) and Maggie Reilly (Jr.-Saint Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) were each runners-up twice. Eggebrecht was second in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 29.13 and second in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:03.66. Reilly took second in the 50-yard butterfly with a mark of 28.41 seconds while taking second in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:21.64.
Grace Fair (Sr.-Monticello, Minn.) was second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 56.24 and Emily Behrens (Jr.-Faribault, Minn.) came in second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:15.24. Kristin Peters (Jr.-Farmington, Minn.) was runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle while Lisa Reed (So.-Duluth, Minn./East) took second in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:34.82.
In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the Blugolds had five teams competing. The group of Eggebrecht, Fair, Abby Meyer (Jr.-Apple Valley, Minn.) and Peters had the best finish for Eau Claire as they claimed second with a time of 1:42.73.
Next Saturday, the Blugold men and women will compete both home and away. The divers will host UW-Stevens Point and St. Cloud State University (Minn.) in the McPhee Physical Education Center while the swimmers will compete against the same two teams in St. Cloud.
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