BISMARCK, ND – A day to celebrate another milestone for the University of Mary swimming program, two wins by Kate Murphy and a strong close for the Marauders headlined the program's first meet. Mary won four of the final five events but fell just short of MSU Moorhead 149-110.
 
"Overall this was a very good meet for us," said Marauders head coach Allan McCallum. "The kids really stepped up and competed well against one of the top teams in the conference. It is impressive to see the improvements we have made since our last meet two weeks ago. I'm very excited about the progress we are making and what we have the potential to accomplish the rest of the season."
 
After the Dragons claimed the top two spots in the first two races, Murphy earned the Marauders first win at the BSC Aquatic & Fitness Center. The freshman from Jefferson, MT, captured the 200 yard freestyle with a mark of 1:59.43 to win by over two seconds.
 
Brittany Davis generated the Marauders second win of the day, taking the 200 yard breaststroke by the narrowest of margins. The sophomore was clocked in 2:33.46, just ahead of Shae Bodrero's time of 2:33.89 for MSUM.
 
Murphy gave the Marauders back-to-back wins with a commanding win in the 500 yard freestyle. Her mark of 5:20.52 was 5.58 seconds ahead of the runner-up.  
 
Elizabeth Moriarty extended the Marauders win streak to three events when she claimed victory in the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 1:00.2.
 
After the Dragons snapped the Marauders run, Mary closed the day in fine fashion with a win in the 800 yard freestyle relay. Moriarty, Murphy, Melissa Andrews and Alyssa Boese combined to post a time of 8:18.56, finishing just 1.71 seconds ahead of the Dragons top group.
 
Karyssa Nelson posted a pair of strong finishes, placing second in the 100 yard breaststroke and third in the 100 yard freestyle.  Boese had a second place finish in the 100 yard IM. Davis was the runner up in the 100 yard breaststroke.
 
A busy week for the Marauders, Mary hosts Augustana on Friday, Oct. 26, at 5 pm at the BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center.
 
#marauders#