Trailblazer swimmers break 3 school records in dual meet loss to NAU

Utah Tech University's Pia Murray swept both backstroke events during the Trailblazers' final home dual meet of the season at the HPC Pool Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 | Phot by Stan Plewe, Utah Tech Athletics, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Utah Tech University swimming combined to break three school records and claimed six event victories in the Trailblazers’ final home dual meet of the season against Northern Arizona on Senior Day Saturday at the HPC Pool.

The Lumberjacks defeated the Trailblazers 168-113.

A week after she won three individual events and shattered two school records, junior Pia Murray duplicated that feat on Saturday, according to Utah Tech Athletics website. Murray swept both backstroke races, breaking her own school record time in the 100-yard race with a time of 53.87, which also bettered her top mark in the Western Athletic Conference in that event by 0.04 seconds.

Murray then won the 200 back with a time of 1:58.27, before she broke her school record in the 100 butterfly with a winning time of 54.18.

Meanwhile, freshman Ikea Losey posted event victories in both the 50 free (23.70) and the 100 free (51.20).

In addition, the Trailblazers came away with seven runner-up showing, highlighted by freshman Lily Magda shattering the school record in the 1,000 free by more than seven seconds with a second-place 10:13.86. Magda also took second in the 500 free, touching the wall in a time of 5:01.10.

Utah Tech University’s Paulina Sansores competes in the breast stroke during the Trailblazers’ final home dual meet of the season at the HPC Pool Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 | Photo by Stan Plewe, Utah Tech Athletics, St. George News

Junior Eleonore Rembert also picked up a pair second-place finishes in the 100 back (55.32) and the 200 IM (2:06.94). Fellow junior Skyler Lyon also claimed a runner-up finish in the 100 breast (1:03.68), as did sophomores Mandy Farnum (24.28) in the 50 free and Reese Hazan (1:59.69) in the 200 fly.

In the relays, the Utah Tech 400 medley relay “A” team of Rembert, Lyon, Murray and Losey just missed breaking the school record by one second with a race-winning time of 3:40.94. In the last race of the day, the 200 free relay “A” team of sophomore Ally Boynton, Farnum, freshman Natalia Zmierczak and senior Chloe Partsch clocked a 1:35.74 to place second.

Utah Tech will close out the 2022-23 regular season the weekend of Feb. 10-11 when the Blazers travel to Las Vegas to swim at the UNLV First Chance Invite.

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