MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead swimming & diving prepares for duals on consecutive days this weekend as the regular season nears a conclusion. The Dragons host UMary on Friday at 3 p.m. before crossing Eighth Street to take on Concordia College on Saturday at noon.

Live video will be available at msumdragons.com. Moorhead last competed at the MSUM-hosted Dragon Invite last weekend which saw the team finish second overall behind 1153 points. 

Verke Paces...Junior Sophia Verke appears to be hitting her stride as the NSIC Championships near. Verke won the 200-yard freestyle at the Dragon Invite, marking a time of 1:59.65. Verke would also place fourth in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.26. In the 100-yard freestyle, Verke would place runner-up behind a time of 55.49. Verke was also a member of four winning Dragon relay teams at the meet. 

Leon At It Again...Sophomore Fernanda Leon picked up another event win for the Dragons, securing the 200-yard butterfly with a finishing time of 2:12.33. Also at the Dragon Invite, Leon would earn runner-up marks in the 100-yard fly, pacing a 59.36. Leon would also place runner-up in the 100-yard IM, swimming a 1:03.24

Relays Carry...The Dragons swept all four relay races at the Dragon Invite last weekend. The 200-yard medley relay would begin the action as MSUM's team of Kelsey Jackson, Rose Urick, Ruth Pavelski and Verke would grab an event win. The quarter swam a time of 1:51.43 for the victory. MSUM would also earn a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay to conclude the evening with the team of Verke, Pavelski, Tresa Baumgard and Maggie Moore would clock a 1:40.19. On Saturday, Moorhead would win the 400-yard medley relay as the team of Jackson, Urick, Leon and Verke would pace a 4:06.48. The Dragons would also win the 400-yard freestyle relay to conclude the meet as the quartet of Moore, Leon, Pavelski and Verke clocked a 3:42.76.

Johnson Dominates...At the Dragon Invite last weekend, senior diver Isabelle Johnson turned in a pair of strong performances. Johnson won 1-meter action on Friday, earning an overall score of 379.10. In 3-meter competition, Johnson would lead the Dragons again, winning 3-meter competition with an overall score of 370.49.

CSCAA Honors...The Dragons were again named a CSCAA Fall Scholar All-America Team on Tuesday afternoon. Moorhead bolstered a 3.62 cumulative GPA for the team to earn the honor. To qualify, each team was required to post a team cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher during the Fall 2025 semester, reflecting a sustained commitment to academic excellence alongside competitive achievement.

Charlie King is in his eighth season as MSUM's head swimming & diving coach.