Storm swimmers face top-flight competition at UNO

OMAHA - The Simpson swimming teams traveled to the 2009 Mutual of Omaha Invite Dec. 4-5, taking on the likes of University of Nebraska - Omaha, the University of Colorado, the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of Northern Iowa. Facing its toughest competition of the season, the Storm women finished sixth of eight teams and the men came in fifth of five.

Host UNO won the women's competition with 1,851 points, followed by Colorado with 655. Morningside came in third (483), UNI placed fourth (462) and Nebraska - Kearney placed fifth (342). Simpson came away with 194 points for a sixth-place finish, followed by College of St. Mary (142) and the University of Kansas Swim Club (15).

On the men's side, Colorado took first-place honors with 1,213 points, followed by Morningside (845). The University of Kansas Swim Club came in third (283), the University of Nebraska - Lincoln Swim Club placed fourth (142) and Simpson came away with 115 points in fifth.

Freshman Keely Goshia gave the women their best finish of the two-day event, qualifying for the finals in the 200-yard butterfly while taking seventh (2:38.24), shaving three seconds off her qualifying time of 2:41.74.

Freshman Terry Hodge gave the men their best finish of the weekend, taking fifth in the 200-yard breastroke (2:42.77).

Simpson enjoys more than a month off, as its next competition is scheduled for Jan. 15-16 at the Grinnell Invitational.