PHARR, Texas - Idaho Swim and Dive opened competition Wednesday at the program's first-ever MPSF Swimming and Diving Championships in Pharr, Texas, aiming for a berth in the NCAA Zone E Championships and the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.
The opening day began with the 1-meter dive, where Maya Salvitti and Amelia Ward each placed in the top 10. Salvitti advanced to the A final after posting one of the top eight scores in preliminaries and went on to finish sixth overall with a score of 253.05. Ward was one of the top performers in the B final and placed 10th with a score of 226.00.
Competition shifted to the relays, where the group of Ginger Kiefer, Courtney Crawford, Madelynn Butler and Katy Foley delivered a top-five finish in the 200 Y medley relay, clocking in a 1:41.20 performance. The time ranks as the fastest for Idaho in nearly a decade and sits less than three-tenths of a second shy of the school record. Isabelle Borke, Marie Mason, Holly Lenarz and Kiefer continued the momentum in the 800 Y freestyle relay, combining for a fourth-place finish at 7:21.38.
Day two began with a strong showing from the black and gold, as multiple Vandals advanced from preliminaries to finals. In the 500 Y freestyle, Mason qualified for the A final, while Lenarz secured a spot in the B final. In the 200 Y individual medley, Kiefer advanced to the A final, with Natalie Charles and Courtney Crawford earning B final appearances. The 50 Y freestyle saw Butler qualify for the A final, while Foley and Grace Ruble advanced to the B final, and Isabelle Borke secured a spot in the C final.
Mason opened up finals in the 500 Y freestyle, breaking the school record in 4:49.95 and earning a top-two finish for the Vandals. Kiefer followed with a dominant performance in the 200-yard individual medley, setting a pool record with a time of 1:59.18 and capturing gold on her way to the first of three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles.
Meanwhile, in the diving competition, Salvitti captured the conference win in the 3-meter with a score of 314.10. The day concluded with the final swim event of the evening, the 50-yard freestyle. Butler placed seventh with a time of 23.14, while Ruble followed with a ninth-place finish in 23.39, closing out the swim portion of the day for Idaho.
Building on the momentum from day two, the Vandals returned to the pool on Friday, once again advancing multiple swimmers into the evening finals. In the 100 Y butterfly, Butler qualified for the A final, while Ruble earned a spot in the B final. Adelaide McRoberts and Catherine Hyde secured C final appearances. Action in the 400 Y individual medley included Kiefer and Mason advanced to the A final, while Lenarz qualified for the B final and Ena Lehmann earned a C final spot.
The 200 Y freestyle saw Borke secure a place in the B final, and Haley Roberson advanced to the C final. Idaho's depth continued in the 100 Y breaststroke, as Crawford advanced to the B final and Charles along with Kirsten Sautel moved on to the C final. In the 100 Y backstroke, Foley advanced to the A final, while Hyde earned a spot in the C final, closing out the morning's events.
The finals opened with the 100-yard butterfly, where Butler delivered an eighth-place finish in 55.51. The Vandals continued their momentum in the 400-yard individual medley, as Kiefer claimed another conference title with a time of 4:17.01, while Mason captured the bronze medal in 4:20.48. Foley also made her way to the podium with a bronze finish in the 100 Y backstroke with a time of 54.76.
Day four opened with another opportunity to qualify for the final rounds in the evening. The Vandals were on display in many events with both Kiefer and Foley making the A final in the 200 Y back. The 100 Y Free displayed the group of Butler (A), Heasman (B), and Borke (C) securing their spot in the evening heats. The 200 Y breaststroke saw Charles advancing to the B and Crawford in the C. The session concluded with the 200 Y Fly, advancing Ruble to the A final, Lenarz to the B final, and Roberson to the C final.
The final session of the evening included Kiefer taking her third MPSF title of the week with a 1:57.18 time in the 200 Y backstroke. Foley followed behind her with a time of 1:59.46 and a fourth place finish. Salvitti returned her presence and took home her second MPSF title on the meet scoring 280.95 in the platform dive, nearly resetting the school record in the process.
Mason reached the podium once again in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 16:49.74. Idaho finished the week with a pair of top-five finishes from Ruble in the 200 Y fly (2.01.79) and 400 Y freestyle relay team of Butler, Foley, Ruble, and Heasman (3:23.23).
Multiple strong individual performances in Pharr culminated in a total team score of 942 points for the Black and Gold, just over twice as many as the team scored in last season's WAC Championships. Last year marked the first time since 2020 that Idaho put an athlete at the top of the podium and the program has now put up nine such performances across the '25 and '26 campaigns.
Leading the way for Idaho from the diving board all year long, Maya Salvitti secured a spot in the NCAA Zone E Championships earlier in the year and will head to College Station a week from Monday with two more conference championships under her decorated belt. Should Salvitti or any of her teammates have their number called, they will be bound for the NCAA Swim and Dive Championships in Atlanta, beginning March 18.
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