PULLMAN, Wash. - The Washington State swim team fell to No. 14 Arizona at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center in Tuscon, Ariz. Friday, 150-107.
"Since we got here in Arizona, we've talked about culture and how it is important to have two things: strong attitude and strong effort," said head coach Matt Leach. "Throughout the meet, we did a really good job of that. To come up against Arizona - a team that is very strong not only in the conference, but in the NCAA - I think we performed well. We won seven events, and haven't won that many events against such a powerful team ever before."
Sophomore Taylor McCoy won three individual events and swam the opening leg of the first-place 400 medley relay team. McCoy, alongside teammates Mackenzie Duarte, Emily Barrier, and Keiana Fountaine, clocked a 3:45.64 in the event to secure first. The Pullman, Wash. native also saw first-place finishes in the 100 and 200 back and the 400 IM.
Sophomore Mackenzie Duarte placed first in two individual events against Arizona, winning the 100 and 200 breast.
Freshman Keiana Fountaine placed first in the 100 free with a time of 51.05 - the freshman from Tracy, Calif. native set the school record in the same event earlier this season. Fountains also saw a fifth-place finish in the 200 free and was a member of the third-place 200 free relay team.
Junior Ryan Falk saw top-three finishes in her events - placing second in the 500 free and third in the 1000 free. Freshman Lauren Burckel saw a season-best in the 400 IM, clocking in at 4:31.45.
"Taylor McCoy won everything she swam today," said Leach. "She did a great job; and I think it's really a team effort. There are individual names that go into putting their hand on the wall first, but at the end of the heat, the result is our team's score and that's what we want to focus on. We did a really good job as a team today - it was a great team effort. I'm really proud of our very young team. Go Cougs!"
The Cougars will be back in action Saturday, Jan. 12 at 10 a.m. in Tempe, Ariz. as they take on Arizona State.
