ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State University women's swimming & diving team opened the 2025-26 season on Friday night earning third place at the four-team Northern State Relay Meet inside the Aberdeen YMCA.
 
Concordia-St. Paul won the meet with 216 points followed by UMary with 204, SMSU with 202 and Northern State with 80.
 
A total of 11 events were contested on the night with SMSU earning four first-place finishes.
 
The 300-yard breaststroke relay of Carla Nevi, Shannon Bailey and Maddy Storm earned first place with a time of 3:29.73. The 500-yard freestyle of Grace Aesoph, Lexi Weems, Storm and Nevi picked-up a first place finish with a time of 4:50.03.
 
Another first place finish for SMSU came in the 200-yard freestyle relay with Storm, Aesoph, Maggie Johnson and Weems recording a time of 1:40.35. SMSU's other first place relay came in the 400-yard freestyle with Nevi, Aesoph, Johnson and Weems closing with a time of 3:40.31.
 
The Mustangs had several second place finishes including the 800-yard freestyle of Isabelle Bodart, Sophie Bisek, Savannah Orzech and Johnson closing with a time of 8:34.21. The 3x500 freestyle relay of Kendal Engelker, Orzech and Bodart finished with a time of 17:41.41, while the 1-meter dive relay team of Emma Knoll, Alana Condezo and Maddie Olafson also finished second.
 
SMSU returns to action on Oct. 4 with a dual at Western Colorado University in Gunnison, Colo.