SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota State freshman Gigi Hioki turned in a runner-up finish in the 500-yard freestyle to lead the Jackrabbit women’s swimming and diving team on the final day of the Coyote Extravaganza at the Midco Aquatic Center.

As a team, the Jackrabbits posted a 3-2 record in the multi-team dual format for the second day in a row to move to 9-7 in head-to-head competition this season. Team scores were as follows:

• SDSU 161, St. Cloud State, 61
• Northern Iowa 146.5, SDSU 76.5
• SDSU 126, Sioux Falls 91
• South Dakota 130, SDSU 93
• SDSU 134.5, Augustana 88.5

A native of Liberty Lake, Washington, Hioki clocked a runner-up time of 5 minutes, 13.72 seconds, finishing less than a second behind winner Gabbie Ahrendt of South Dakota (5:12.79).

Senior Kelsey Kocon recorded a pair of top-four individual finishes, placing third in the 200 backstroke and fourth in the 200 individual medley. She led a group of three Jackrabbits in the top eight of the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:08.26, followed by Sianne Downes in fifth (2:09.23) and Lily Esmas in eighth (2:11.16).

Kocon and Hioki formed one-half of SDSU’s fourth-place 400 freestyle relay, teaming with Gabriella Gnewuch and Emma Walz for a time of 3:35.03. Gnewuch added a fifth-place individual finiish in the 200 freestyle, 1:58.42.

Jenna Currier tied for fourth place in the 100 freestyle, 54.73 seconds, while Marissa Branham and Poppy Mead posted fifth-place individual finishes in the 200 breaststroke (2:27.87) and 1,650 freestyle (18:41.68), respectively.

Downes, Emma Bachelder, Currier and Walz notched another fourth-place showing for the Jackrabbits in a relay, combining for a time of 1:48.06 in the 200 medley relay.

Freshman Anna Mei Castro closed out the team effort with a third-place score of 234.65 points in the 3-meter diving competition.

Up next

The Jackrabbits return to the Midco Aquatic Center Nov. 15 for the Coyote LCM Invite. Start time is set for 6 p.m.