Swimming and Diving Set for 2010 WAC Championships
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The
Northern Arizona swimming and diving team reaches the apex of its
season on Wednesday with the start of the 2010 Western Athletic
Conference (WAC) Championships in San Antonio, Texas. The meet is a
four-day event featuring the top swimmers and divers in the
conference and serves as a final opportunity to qualify for the
NCAA Championships in March.
Swimming and diving has finished runner-up in the past two
championships meets, narrowly falling to Nevada last year by 16
points. The women will be led by a talented core of swimmers and
arguably the deepest diving team in the conference with all six
performers capable of scoring points for the Lumberjack team. A
preview of both teams follows.
Diving
The women’s diving team has enjoyed a dominant season
picking up four Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
Diver of the Week awards and holds the top scores on the 1-meter
and 3-meter this season. The Lumberjacks hold the two best scores
on the 1-meter with juniors Lana Christensen and Taryn Harris
turning in top performances throughout the season. Harris has
turned in the No. 1 score on the 3-meter with four Lumberjacks in
the top 10 on that springboard height. Freshman Kristy Ardavanis
enjoyed a breakout freshman season posting the fifth-best 3-meter
score and ninth-best on the 1-meter.
Head Coach Andy Johns…
“For us the biggest individual part of this meet is
diving. We have six divers that we think are all going to score.
There are not three individual events where we are going to score
as many points as we are in those three diving events."
Sprints
At last year’s WAC Championships, senior Rachael Foe set the
school record in the 50 freestyle (22.95) and earned All-WAC second
team honors with a fifth place finish in the 100 freestyle. This
year, Foe holds the seventh fastest time in the 50 free entering
the championship meet. Meredith Egloria swam in two relays last
year at the championship meet and will be asked to step up this
year in the individual sprints. She holds the second fastest
NAU times in the 50 and 100 this season. The 50 free will be held
on Thursday and the 100 free on Saturday.
Head Coach Andy Johns…
“The sprint freestyles are going to be big for us
obviously with Rachael Foe and Meredith Egloria. We are looking to
get some nighttime swims there. I think we can hold our own with
Rachael there and everything else is bonus. The sprint freestyles
are so competitive throughout the conference. You just have to be
on, right from the start on Thursday morning.”
Middle Distance
The Lumberjacks may be at their deepest in the middle distance
events particularly the 200 and 500 freestyles. NAU will look to
Krista Maier and Vivian Landeck in the 200 and Kristin Jones and
Claire Ferro in the 500 to post top times in the preliminary events
and advance to the finals. The 500 free will open the swimming
portion of the meet as the first event on Thursday morning while
the 200 free will take place as the third event on Friday
morning.
Head Coach Andy Johns…
“As we get into middle distances, the 200 and 500, we
have a strong number of five or six potential scorers in each of
those events. We really need those girls to get some nighttime
swims. Qualifying in the morning and being able to come back in the
evening is key. We have done a good job of that. The 500 freestyle
is the first event on Thursday morning. We always have someone that
lights it up and gets things rolling for everyone. That is a big
event for us and it starts to get people in the right frame of
mind. We just have to get people scoring for us.”
Distance
The 1650 freestyle, or mile event, is another race the Lumberjacks
could finish well in with Kristin Jones and Krista Maier seeded
with times inside the top 16. Training at 7,000-feet has helped NAU
swimming produce consistent breakout times at sea level in the
middle distance and distance events at the WAC Championships in the
last couple years. The Lumberjacks also have two other competitors
in Kate Schafer and Danielle Palbykin whom could surprise and
finish inside the top 16 on Thursday.
Head Coach Andy Johns…
“The mile is on the last day. We generally do very well.
The altitude factor kicks in and it is the same basic crew in the
middle distances. We should be able to hold our own against most
people in the conference in the freestyle events including the
relays. That covers a lot of events so it should be a strong point
for us.”
Butterfly
Rachael Foe returns with the 100 butterfly, an event she recently
broke the pool record in at the Wall Aquatic Center in early
February. Foe holds the sixth-fastest time in the WAC this season
at this distance. Foe will be joined by senior Kristen Hamilton who
earned All-WAC second team in the event last year with a fourth
overall finish. In the 200 butterfly, Kimber Morelli will be
counted on to place for NAU being the only competitor in the field.
She also earned All-WAC second team in the event in 2009. The
100 butterfly is slated for Friday while the 200 will be held on
Saturday.
Head Coach Andy Johns…
“The 100 butterfly we have Rachael Foe and Kristen
Hamilton. We are a little weak there with injuries. That has
not helped us. Again, when you have Rachael Foe in an event its
going to be a strong one for you. Kimber Morelli is our only
entrant in the 200 butterfly. She has been solid all year long. She
has been our only entrant for a lot of times this year. She was a
finalist last year and we are hoping for the same type result again
this year.”
Backstroke
NAU’s best opportunity to medal in its swimming events rests
on the youthful shoulders of freshman Fi Connell, who holds the
second fastest time in the 100 backstroke and third fastest in the
200 backstroke. She was the only Lumberjack swimmer to earn Verizon
Wireless WAC Swimmer of the Week and did so twice. She was one of
four athletes in the conference to be selected swimmer of the
week in multiple weeks. The Lumberjacks have excellent depth
in the backstrokes with 10 entrees in the two events. The
backstrokes will take place on consecutive days beginning with the
100 back on Friday.
Head Coach Andy Johns…
“Fi Connell is our top backstroker. She’s been
that all year long and we expect big things out of her in the 200
backstroke. Claire Ferro finaled in the 200 back two years ago and
Chalene Dirks-Ryan finaled last year so with those three it could
be a huge event for us. If Fi swims as well as we hope she can swim
we may be looking at an NCAA qualifier there. The 100 backstroke is
potentially a big event for us with four or five that could produce
positive results as well.”
Breaststroke
Head coach Andy Johns has used the tandem of Jessi Jones and T.J.
Williams all season in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes, and the
senior duo will be counted on to reach the finals and score in any
way possible. The breasstroke has been an area without much depth
as freshman breaststroker Jaclyn Branning has been used in the
individual medleys and other events throughout the year. Branning
will be used as a 200 breaststroke specialist on Saturday. The 100
breast will take place on Friday.
Head Coach Andy Johns…
“In the 100 breaststroke we have Jessi Jones and T.J.
Williams. We need them to score, to make it back at night somehow
some way. The 200 breaststroke we add in Jaclyn Branning. If she
shows the form she had out of high school, Jackie is potentially a
dark horse to show up big. She could make a huge difference
there.”
Individual
Medleys
Fi Connell and Kristin Jones will lead NAU in the individual
medleys. Connell holds the conference’s 11th-best time in the
200 IM and will look for a top eight finish for the Lumberjacks in
her third individual event. Jones, who may be the
Lumberjacks’ most versatile swimmer appearing in 10 different
individual events this year, turned in the 12th-best 400 IM time
and could also post a top finish in the finals.
Head Coach Andy Johns…
“In the individual medleys, we think Fi could be a top
eight scorer and we are hoping that Jackie and T.J. can make it
into the top 16 and find a way to score some points for us. The 200
IM seems to be a pretty wide open event. In the 400 IM, Kristin
Jones was a finalist last year and Kimber would have been a
finalist had it not been an exhibition swim. They need to be top
eight if we want to be in the type of team position we think we can
be in.”
DID YOU KNOW ... Northern Arizona combined the best of both worlds during the 2008-09 academic year with a Top 100 United States Sports Academy Directors Cup standing. NAU ranked among the top 1000 for the sixth time in the last seven seasons and 11th overall in the last 13 years.
