SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -
Farida Maher made history on Wednesday night at the 2023-24 NSIC Swimming and Diving Championships after becoming the Golden Bears' first conference champion in program history. The Golden Bears tallied five school records and had a pair of swimmers record NCAA B-Cut times inside the Midco Aquatic Center.
The Golden Bears will return to action tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for the 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 freestyle and 3-meter dive prelims. Finals for each event will start at 5:30 p.m. and will conclude with the 400 medley relay.
After an exciting day one of the NSIC Championships, the Concordia resides in fifth place with 115 points in the team standings. Augustana (S.D.) leads the way with 244.5 points ahead of Minnesota State (205.5) and St. Cloud State (179).
Maher became a seven-time NSIC All-Conference swimmer and the first-ever Golden Bear to stand atop the podium with her victory in the 1000 freestyle. The junior made history after edging Victory Murillo of the University, who was an NCAA qualifier and All-American last season, with a time of 10:18.64 (NCAA B-Cut) to collect a team-leading 20 points.
Freshman
Sophie Leo shined in her conference tournament debut in the Navy and Gold. The Blaine, Minnesota native established a new school record with an NCAA B-Cut time of 23.82 in the 50 freestyle prelim in the morning session. Later in the A-final, she re-broke the school record with an NCAA B-Cut time of 23.68 to finish third and claim her first career NSIC All-Conference finish.
Chloe Rihon had an impressive opening day of the NSIC Championship after setting a new school record in the 200 IM with a time of 2:09.45 to finish 12th and secure a spot in the B-final. In the B-final, the sophomore collected four points for the Golden Bears with a 13th-place overall finish in the event.
During a time trial before intermission,
Rebecca Hildebrand became the lone school record holder in 50 butterfly with a time of 26.14. The Aurora, Colorado native previously shared the school record with sophomore
Hannah Hartlage, who had held the record since the 2022-23 season.
In the opening race of the evening session, the Golden Bears set a new school record in the 200 medley relay after the team of Leo, Rihon, Hildebrand and
Emma Granovsky found the wall at 1:47.33, breaking the previous record of 1:48.92 that was established earlier this season. The time was good enough to propel CSP to a seventh-place finish ahead of Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State. The relay team of
Zoe Hiers,
Charly Horn,
Savanna Honan and
Sierra Sherry added six points in the event with a 17th-place finish.
Night one concluded with the 800 freestyle relay. The team of Maher, Hildebrand, Rihon and
Marianna Perna set a new school record with a time of 7:51.67, while the team of Sherry, Hiers, Horn, and Granovsky added eight points with a time of 8:12.79 to finish 15th.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Augustana - 244.5
2. Minnesota State - 205.5
3. St Cloud State - 179
4. Sioux Falls - 151
5. Concordia-St. Paul - 115
6. Southwest Minnesota State - 89
7. MSU Moorhead - 85
8. UMary - 81
9. Northern State - 77
RELAY RESULTS
7th: 200 Medley Relay (A), 1:47.33 (
Sophie Leo,
Chloe Rihon,
Rebecca Hildebrand,
Emma Granovsky) -
28 Points (School Record)
17th: 200 Medley Relay (B), 1:53.63 (
Zoe Hiers,
Charly Horn,
Savanna Honan,
Sierra Sherry) -
6 Points
25th: 200 Medley Relay (C), 2:00.64 (
Giulia Cury,
Laura Vekony,
Marianna Perna,
Deanna Ringler)
5th: 800 Freestyle Relay (A), 7:51.67 (
Farida Maher,
Rebecca Hildebrand,
Chloe Rihon,
Marianna Perna) -
32 Points (
School Record)
15th: 800 Freestyle Relay (B), 8:12.79 (
Sierra Sherry,
Zoe Hiers,
Charly Horn,
Emma Granovsky) -
8 Points
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
*Point Scorers
Sophie Leo - 16 Points
3rd: 50 Freestyle, 23.68
(All-Conference, NCAA B-Cut, School Record)
Farida Maher - 20 Points
1st: 1000 Freestyle, 10:18.64
(All-Conference, NCAA B-Cut)
Marianna Perna - 1 Point
16th: 1000 Freestyle, 10:57.86
Chloe Rihon - 4 Points
12th: 200 IM (Prelims), 2:09.45
(School Record)
13th: 200 IM, 2:09.69
