Rams don’t hold back in New Mexico

To describe CSU’s swimming and diving team’s performance at the

New Mexico Invitational, head coach John Mattos needed only one

word.

“There’s only one word to describe the New Mexico Invitational

and that is domination,” he said.

The Rams crushed every bit of competition thrown their way. The

second place team in the meet, Northern Arizona, trailed the Rams

by more than 300 points. The Rams posted an impressive 1,151 points

to finish the meet. They won every event they swam in except for

one, which was controversial anyway.

Senior swimmer Katie Peck was defeated by a 10th of a second

because she didn’t pound her pad hard enough when she finished. She

would have beaten Heather Thomas of Northern Arizona but was not

recognized for finishing due to not slapping the pad.

“I wasn’t surprised with the way the team performed; I really

think this meet solidifies our potential to be a team to beat,”

Mattos said.

The Rams are that type of team, swimming as if competing against

toddlers taking their first swim lesson.

The Rams dominated the meet from start to finish.

“We didn’t even remotely let up in any session,” Mattos said.

“That is what I am most proud of.”

Senior swimmer Kristen Schneider won five events (200-yard IM,

100 fly, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 200 fly). She continues

to dominate in all her events thus far in the season. Another

mainstay in the top of her events is senior co-captain Corinne

Hofstetter. Hofstetter won in her distance events as usual. She won

the 500 freestyle with a time of five minutes, 4.6 seconds and

recorded a time of 17:33.38 in the 1,650 freestyle.

Another impressive showing came from true freshman Chandra Engs.

Engs swam in five individual events finishing in the top five in

all but one where she got 6th place.

Engs also finished first as a member of the 200, 400 and 800

freestyle relay teams.

“The last two meets we’ve continued to impress, but in order to

get better we have to continue to keep this enthusiasm going from

here on out,” Mattos said. “We cannot let down. Any let down could

send an idea that we have a weakness, and I don’t believe we have a

weakness.”