The University of Idaho women’s swim and dive team competed in its first swim meet of the season against the College of Idaho in Caldwell on Oct. 3 and opened with a good start to the season against the Coyotes.
The Vandals traditionally have opened the season against the Yotes for the past four years, continuing it into their 2026-27 season. The results of the meet overwhelmingly fall in favor of the Vandals, though while they have a full 30-person roster, the College of Idaho sports only five girls.
The swim meet featured the women’s 200-yard medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 50 freestyle, 200 IM, 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 200 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay, and both a mixed 200 backstroke and 500 freestyle.
Senior Katy Foley performed exceedingly well to open the season, taking first in the 50-yard freestyle and the mixed 200-yard backstroke, as well as first in both of her team events, the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay.
Last spring, Foley joined the University of Idaho leaderboard for her records in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard backstroke and 50-yard freestyle.
As a senior, Foley will be one to watch, closing out her senior year of swim with more impressive records to come.
Senior Isabelle Borke also started off the season strong, with second in the 200-yard freestyle and first place with a team in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Borke specializes in swimming freestyle for the Vandals, and with a successful start to the season, the sky is the limit for Borke as the season moves forward.
Borke took second in the 200-yard freestyle to the Vandals’ first-place Bella Liao, a freshman from Taiwan.
For her debut against the Yotes, she also competed in the 400-yard freestyle relay, where her team took second, three seconds shy of first place.
With a strong opening for her first season with the Vandals, Liao will continue to improve and impress for the Vandals as the season moves forward.
Another notable freshman, Bella Tognoni of Ketchum, Idaho, helped Foley win the 200-yard medley relay, while also swimming for exhibition in the 100-yard breaststroke, taking fourth behind her three teammates, juniors Courtney Crawford, Rylie Moxhamn and senior Katilyn Hafer.
All in all, the meet featured the Vandals taking at least the top two spots in every event that they put competitors into, taking a win home for their first swim meet as their season begins.
Further, the Idaho roster has 10 seniors, and with a strong third of the team holding years of experience, the future looks bright for the Swim and Dive team’s 2026-27 season.
Last year, the Vandals Swim and Dive team took on a record of 4-5, taking losses against Washington State, Denver University, Colorado State and Northern Colorado, while beating the College of Idaho, Seattle University, Northern Arizona University and Utah Tech.
Further, the Vandals took first last season at the Northwest Collegiate Invite hosted in Boise and fifth overall at the Mountain Pacific Swimming Federation Championships in February, ultimately closing a successful season for their team altogether and individually for the athletes.
The Swim and Dive team’s next meet will be against Seattle University on Friday, Oct. 9, in Moscow, as the Redhawks kick off their first meet of the year against the Idaho Vandals.
The following week, Idaho will hit the road and head to Long Beach, California, for the Mountain Pacific Swimming Federation’s Open Water Championship swim meet.