Mustangs continue to strengthen as conference meet nears

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Bryan Farris likes what he's seeing as the Morningside women's swimming team continues to grow.

The Mustangs recorded six top-three finishes Saturday in a dual against Nebraska Wesleyan at the Hindman-Hobbs Center, showing steady progress from a young roster with no seniors. Every swimmer is set to return next season, giving the program optimism as it continues to build.

"They're really close to doing some big things together," said Farris, Morningside's women's head coach. "You can see the potential is there."

While the future is bright, the immediate focus is on next month's KCAC Championships, and Saturday's performances provided a confidence boost heading into that meet.

Freshman Lily Jackson opened the day with a second-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle, touching in 12:24.23 and closing strong with a 36.69-second final split. Lily Schwickerath followed with a runner-up finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, posting a time of 1:20.00.

Alice Mahoney led the individual results with two second-place finishes, placing runner-up in the 100 backstroke (1:06.21) and the 200 breaststroke (2:40.30).

"As we keep going, we get better and closer," Mahoney said. "We're lucky to have a close-knit team, and that really helps. After today, I'm excited for conference because I think we can do very well there."

Mahoney also contributed to two third-place relay finishes. She joined Jaden Oschner, Leonor Coelho, and Olivia Ramaeker on the 200 medley relay (4:34.30), then teamed with Coelho, Ramaeker, and Elena Santelli to place third in the 400 freestyle relay (3:56.24).

"The relays are going to be very fast at conference," Farris said. "It's been a while since we've had a women's relay crack the top 10 nationally, so that's exciting."

The Prairie Wolves defeated the Mustangs, 188-35.