FLAGSTAFF, Ariz (October 7, 2020) – For the 25th year in a row, the annual Pentathlon is slated for this Friday, Oct. 9, at 2 p.m. in the Aquatic and Tennis Complex. Although the ATC will be closed to the public, the meet will be streamed.
Last year, three-time defending Pentathlon champion, Niamh McDonagh, tied for first with then-newcomer Haley Mayhew, both scoring 3,170 points and finishing the 200m individual medley with the same time (2:24.15). Historically, no two swimmers had tied for first place at the Pentathlon before.
"If you've done the Pentathlon before, we like to see the comparison between year one, two, and three," head coach Andy Johns said. "We've been training in our short course meters a lot more, really all we have been doing. It could lend itself to some really great results. Really excited to see our freshman race. They've shown a lot so far in practices so to actually race will be really good."
The Pentathlon, as customary, will feature five events – the 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke and 100m freestyle. Each swimmer will earn points based on their times in each of the five events with the overall champion being the swimmer with the highest cumulative total.
"25 years and it's always short course meters – I just love that course. There's been a lot of good ones over the years," Johns said.
McDonagh placed in the top seven spots in all five events, placing first in the 200m IM, while Mayhew took the top four spots in the 200m IM, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, and 100m freestyle.
Towards the end of October, the Lumberjacks will also compete in their intrasquad Blue and Gold meet. The Blue and Gold meet will allow divers to make their season debut.
Looking past the annual preseason Pentathlon and intrasquad Blue and Gold meet, the swimming and diving program has high expectations for the 2020-21 season. With the Western Athletic Conference announcement pushing back the season start date until at least Nov. 1, the Lumberjacks won't begin competition until then at the earliest.
Seniors Jenny Cheetham, Elisa Rodriguez, Maddie Seidl, Teresa Cobb, Natalie Dinch, McDonagh, Sarah O'Connor, Sam Seiber, and Hope Williams will suit up for their final seasons, while 12 freshmen look forward to their first appearance as Lumberjacks. These nine seniors each have three conference championships under their belt, including this past season.
NAU took its seventh straight WAC Championship this last spring. With a water failure in Houston, Texas, every race was timed as a final session. The Lumberjacks fought back with adversity, allowing the program to earn six individual gold medals both on the springboards and in the pool, with one relay win.
The three-time WAC Athlete of the Week, Cheetham, got it started for the 'Jacks, taking the first win in the 1-meter finals, finishing with 297.71 points. Following thereafter, Rodriguez earned two golds in the 50 free and 100 free, Hope Williams earned the top time in the 100 breaststroke, and Lainie Bell also earned two medals in both the 100 and 200 backstroke.
The Lumberjacks won their final gold medal in the 400 medley relay, where O'Connor, Williams, Seidl, and Rodriguez posted a time of 3:40.99. The Lumberjacks also set a new school record in the 200 medley relay with O'Connor, Williams, Rodriguez and Miranda Nichols (1:40.82), breaking the previous school record set in 2013.
"Nobody had ever been in a meet like that with every session turning into a timed finals session," Johns said. "Our girls handled the situation really well and really rose to the occasion."
Cheetham continued to set new standards for the 'Jacks after moving onto NCAA Zones post-conference, where she earned her first NCAA bid, combining for a score of 537.80 on the 1-meter springboard. Cheetham was then honored by the CSCAA, earning a spot on the All-American team for her performance this season.
The team not only found success in the pool, but they also continued to do well in the classroom. In total, 24 student-athletes were named to the Academic All-WAC team, followed by Cheetham, Bell, Rodriguez and Williams being named to the CSCAA 2020 Scholar All-America Team.
"Coming into this year, this is another year nobody has experienced before," Johns said. "If they can continue to deal with adversity the way that they did, our upperclassmen have that experience and our freshman are so enthusiastic, with that good combination of things, we can get through the season and have another great year."
With seven Western Athletic Conference Championships and a high standard of academics and competition with broken records, the Lumberjacks look strong and determined heading into their 2020-21 season.
