MANKATO, Minn. – South Dakota women's swimming and diving team opened its 2023-24 season with a 192-108 win over Minnesota State Friday evening inside Highland Pool.
 
The Coyote women won 14 of the 16 events contested, including all 12 individual swimming events in the season opening dual.
 
Nine different individuals accounted for those 12 victories for South Dakota with sophomore Taylor Buhr winning three and junior Sara Mayer posting a pair of wins.
 
Buhr won the 100 breast (1:06.06), the 200 breast in 2:23.42 and the 200 IM in 2:10.44 while Mayer touched the wall first in the 200 fly (2:10.53) and the 100 fly (57.97).
 
Buhr and Mayer swam the middle two portions of a victorious 200 medley relay, joining Tatum O'Shea and Emily Kahn for a 1:46.18 clocking.
 
Mayer then closed the evening with the leadoff leg of a winning 200 free relay, teaming with Christina Spomer, Skyler Leverenz and Kahn in a 1:37.13 time.
 
Leverenz, a junior, won the 50 free in 24.70 while Kahn, a junior, earned a victory in the 100 free in 52.85 seconds.
 
O'Shea and Camilla Brogger-Andersen, a pair of sophomores, swam to individual wins in the 200 back (2:06.90) and 500 free (5:14.20), respectively.
 
A trio of freshmen earned wins to begin their collegiate careers in Taylor Horan, Gabbie Ahrendt and Anna Balfanz.
 
Horan won the 1000 free in 10:55.80, Ahrendt captured the 200 free in 1:55.16 and Balfanz took first in the 100 back in 58.74.
 
The Coyotes posted 1-2 finishes in six of the 11 individual events on the evening and had a clean 1-2-3 sweep in both the 100 free and 200 free races.
 
Brogger-Andersen and Kahn followed Ahrendt to the wall in the 200 free while Ahrendt and Leverenz were the next two to touch after Kahn in the 100 free.
 
Bri Ruark, a freshman, was second in both the 100 fly (59.03) and the 200 fly (2:13.80) while Spomer touched second in the 50 free (24.75). Other runner-up performances came from Ahrendt in the 100 free (53.24), Samantha Mersnick in the three-meter diving board (226.65) and Horan in the 500 free (5:22.21).
 
The Coyote men, making their season debut, along with the women's team will be in the pool again next Friday in the Minnesota Tri-Duals in Minneapolis, Minn.