CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Washington State swim team moved up four spots in the overall team scores after an outstanding performance at the second day of the National Invitational Championship. The team now sits eighth in the standings with 187 points, just ahead of Boise State. The Cougars are less than 30 points behind South Carolina who have 200.5. Akron currently sits in first with 410 points.

"Today was a great day for the Cougs," said assistant coach Bex Freebairn. "We saw some great swims from everyone and there were multiple swimmers making it back for finals. Taylor did a great job in the 400 IM, setting a new career-best and getting closer to moving up the Top-10. Her getting back to both the 400 IM and 100 back finals is a great thing to see, and really shows that our team can compete at a high level."

Sophomore Taylor McCoy had a great showing for the Cougars, securing a spot in two individual finals. The Pullman, Wash. native clocked an impressive 4:20.29 in the preliminary round of the 400 IM – inching her way closer to the eighth place spot in the WSU Top-10, as her time currently sits ninth. McCoy placed eighth in the finals of the 400 IM – having touched the wall in 4:20.43. McCoy, a strong backstroker for the Cougars, earned a spot in the 100 back finals as well after clocking a 55.56 in the preliminary round – ninth fastest in program history. She moved up in the finals to finish 14th overall, touching the wall in 55.87 – her third time under 56.00 this season.

Both breaststrokers made their way into the finals in the 100 breast. Senior Linnea Lindberg and Lauren Burckel were able to secure the 11th and 16th seeds, respectively, going into finals. Competing in a tough environment, Linnea was able to win the finals heat with a time of 1:02.28, dropping nearly 0.60 off of her preliminary time. Lauren finished 20^th overall.

The Cougars had impressive performances in both the 200 medley and 800 free relays. The relay team of Burckel, Lindberg, Chloe Larson, and Paige Gardner clocked the second-fastest time this season, touching the wall in 1:42.82. The team won their heat, and placed 10^th overall, finishing less than a second behind Vanderbuilt. Junior Ryan Falk led off the 800 free relay, splitting her 200 free 1:50.13. Joined by freshmen Keiana Fountaine, Emily Barrier, and Payton Bokowy, the team placed ninth overall.

"The team atmosphere on deck was something to be envied," said Freebairn. "We had girls stepping up and cheering for one another, and it really created a buzz on the team. I'm excited to see how we do tomorrow, and hope to see even more Cougars in the finals. Go Cougs!"

The Cougars will compete in the final day of the National Invitational Championship Saturday. Preliminary rounds of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, and 1650 free begin at 9:30 a.m.; finals rounds of those events and the 400 free relay begin at 6:35 p.m.