FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Sophomore swimmer Fi Connell finished with the highest point total for the second consecutive year at the 15th Annual Pentathlon at the Wall Aquatic Center on Friday.  Connell finished 80 points ahead of freshman Rachel Palmer as the Lumberjacks completed the first of two intersquad competitions this fall.

Connell won the 100-meter backstroke in a time of 1:05.60 ahead of Palmer and junior Chalene Dirks-Ryan.  She finished second in the 200-meter individual medley, fourth in the 100-meter breaststroke, sixth in the 100-meter butterfly, and eighth in the 100-meter freestyle totaling 4,000 points in the five-event meet.

Palmer placed first in the 200-meter individual medley in a time of 2:25.22, two tenths ahead of Connell and five tenths ahead of junior Kristin Jones.  All three swimmers broke the existing Pentathlon record.

Palmer finished with 3,920 points in her first collegiate competition picking up a second-place finish in the 100-meter backstroke and a third-place showing in the 100-meter breaststroke to go along with her win in the 200-meter individual medley. 

Jones improved upon her fourth-place standing from the 2009 Pentathlon finishing third overall with 3,840 points.  Jones placed in the top five in four events posting her best finish in the 100-meter butterfly with a second-place showing.  She was also third in the 200-meter individual medley.

Senior Claire Ferro and freshmen Emma Lowther and Jordan Burnes all won events on the day rounding out the Lumberjacks top performers.  Ferro won the 100-meter freestyle in 1:00.33 while Lowther and Burnes added wins in the 100-meter butterfly (1:07.57) and 100-meter breaststroke (1:15.82), respectively.

The Lumberjacks have one final exhibition competition, the Blue and Gold Meet, on Friday October 15 in the Wall Aquatic Center at 2 p.m. before opening the regular season at the Vandal Relays in Moscow, Idaho on Thursday, November 11 at 11 a.m.

DID YOU KNOW…Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc., honored 167 Northern Arizona University student-athletes for their scholastic and athletic accomplishments at the 32nd annual Golden Eagle Awards on Thursday.  The Golden Eagle Awards recognize NAU student-athletes who have made significant contributions to the Lumberjack athletics program while maintaining a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average.