GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Freshman Torsten Rau won both the 500-yard freestyle and 200 backstroke events as the Colorado Mesa University Maverick men have opened a 104-44 lead over the visiting Colorado School of Mines Orediggers after the first of a 2-day swimming dual between the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rivals at the El Pomar Natatorium.
 
The Maverick women also hold slim 83-65 lead over the Orediggers after Thursday afternoon's action.
 
CMU's men, ranked a program-best sixth in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America's TYR Top 25 Division II Polls, won seven of the eight swimming events as the 200 free relay team of Sky Hirsch, Chris Radomski, Morgan Bean and Cody Klaiber touched in 1 minute, 26.02 seconds to begin the day.
 
Hirsh, who claimed the 100 free in 47.56 seconds and Radomski, who touched in 1:59.77 to take the 200 fly, were also individual winners as was Sam Bryant (1:57.03) in the 200 individual medley.  Bryant, Radomski and Hirsch also teamed with lead-off leg Eric Berg to cap the session with a 400 medley relay winning time of 3:32.91.
 
Rau had won the 500 free in 4:47.09 while teammate Jacob Dexter was second in 4:49.32.  The German also dominated the 200 back with a time of 1:58.00 as the Mavericks claimed one of their two 1-2-3 sweeps.  Berg (2:00.49) and Nico Tscherner (2:00.69) were in second and third. The other sweep came in the 100 free as Hirsch finished ahead of Jerry Veneris (47.94) and Jake Gremaud (48.56).
 
The Orediggers also had a sweep as Peyton Scherschel won the 100 breast in 1:00.29 ahead of teammates Sam Knott (1:00.58) and Sasha Moreland (1:01.90).
 
The Maverick women, ranked 10^th nationally, won three of the eight events with Kennedy Bright and Grace Payton taking individual wins in the 200 IM and 200 butterfly.  Bright won the 200 IM in 2:12.19 while Payton took second in 2:13.31.  CMU's Danielle Jefferies was third in that event with a time of 2:13.47.
 
Later, Payton won the 200 back in 2:07.76 as the Mavericks' Maddie Pressler took second in 2:09.39.
 
The Mavericks also started the day with a victory in the 200 free relay.  The "A" team of Megan Sirijariyavat, Natalie Saul, Maddie Pressler and Samantha White touched in 1:38.97.
 
Mines' Mia Wood was a double-winner for the Orediggers, as she won both the 100 and 500 free, the latter with a NCAA consideration time of 5:10.04.  She also anchored their winning 400 medley relay team that finished in 4:02.69. 

The Mavericks were able to claim second and third in the 500 thanks to Isabelle Hansson (5:19.78) and Katelin Staab (5:25.85).  They also claimed the 2^nd-7^th spots in the 100 free with Sirijariyavat (53.60) leading that pack.
 
White also finished second behind Mines' Madeleine Oakley in the 100 breast while Jefferies was second in the 200 fly behind only the Orediggers' April Wood.  
 
Four exhibition diving events were also contested Thursday, won by four different Mavericks.  Those events were non-scored because the Orediggers do not have any divers on their roster.
 
Kelsey Vreeman won the 3-meter, 11-dive event with 450.73 points while Brittany Dixon, who came back to win the 1-meter, 6-dive discipline, scored 448.51 points.  Both of those easily surpassed the NCAA Championship qualifying standard of 420.
 
Later, Dixon won the 1-meter with 240.82 points while Vreeman was second with 224.10.
 
Sage D'Ambrosia also continued his impressive season taking the men's 1-meter, 6-dive competition with an NCAA qualifying score of 304.49 points.  Sabin Venable then won the 3-meter, 11-dive event with 429.90 defeating D'Ambrosia, who was second with 412.35 points.
 
Friday's portion of what is CMU's final home meet of the season will begin at 10 a.m.