UNK swim and dive finished seventh at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships, but the placement alone does not fully capture the progress unfolding in the program.
Across five days in Grand Junction, Colorado, the Aqualopers reset school records, produced national qualifying performances and continued closing the gap in a competitive RMAC title race. UNK finished ahead of Texas Permian Basin and Adams State with 326 points, while Colorado Mesa claimed the team title.
For coach Kyle Trelka, the season was about more than results.
“Overall, this season was awesome to coach,” Trelka said. “Results are what the outside world sees, and the results were good. But going deeper than that, this group really bought into the vision of taking UNK from being an OK swim program to being nationally ranked.”
That vision was evident early in the meet.
UNK opened championships by breaking the school record in the 800 freestyle relay. Seniors Maggie Waddington and Reese True, plus freshmen Jacey McGraw and Joslynn Grace, posted a raw 8:00.52. But with the championships being held at a higher altitude, official times are adjusted to sea-level equivalents to ensure record accuracy. After altitude conversion, the mark improved to 7:56.72, surpassing the previous record set a year ago.
Waddington’s lead leg produced another milestone. Her converted 1:54.01 in the 200 free established a new individual program record.
“I’ve been swimming for 10 years, and to see that kind of improvement in my senior season means a lot,” Waddington said. “I feel like I’ve grown every year.”
The senior continued to anchor the lineup throughout the week. She finished fifth in the 50 free, narrowly missing her own record, and played a role in multiple relay performances. On Friday alone, she helped reset three program marks, including a 23.47 in a 50 free time trial and a converted 58.12 in the 100 backstroke.
Yet for Waddington, the meaning extended beyond just times.
“The happiness doesn’t come from the accomplishment itself,” Waddington said. “It comes from the love and communication of my loved ones. Being able to share those moments with them means everything.”
Depth strengthened UNK’s overall showing. Freshman Delaney Madnikoff scored in the 100 butterfly and swam on the 400 medley relay that now ranks third all-time. Sophomore Jaesa Whitesell moved to third in program history in the 200 breaststroke. Grace broke a four-year-old program record in the 200 butterfly during prelims, posting a converted time of 2:14.72 to surpass the previous mark of 2:15.67 set by Karley Bennett in November 2022. On the boards, freshman Maryann Kassner placed fifth on the 1-meter board with 394.30 points.
Trelka credited the team’s growth to culture as much as conditioning.
“The last three weeks of practice were awesome,” Trelka said. “I’d get to the pool and they’d already be in the water starting the workout because they knew their mission.”
UNK closed the meet by setting one final school record in the 400 free relay, finishing in a converted 3:36.69 to edge last year’s mark.
“There’s a ton of tenacity with these girls,” Trelka said. “They bought in, especially our seniors. They helped build the legacy.”
