GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (November 19, 2021) - Northern Arizona swimming swam their best day of the A3 Performance Invite today in the 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breaststroke, and 100 back.
Starting off the day with another strong team race in the 100 fly prelims, the Lumberjacks brought in the top four finishes. Caylah Jago took first with a time of 55.17, followed by teammates Rachael Lytle who finished at 56.73, Ashley Lawrence at 57.52, and Kendall Carlson at 55.90.
Rounding out the prelims for today's events, Francesca Crisicione placed third in the 400 IM with a time of 4:35.49, followed by Abigail Tashlein who finished in fourth with a time of 4:35.60. Delaney Phillips placed second for the 'Jacks in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.74, followed by Abbie Nelson who swam at 1:04.44 to place third. The 100 backstroke was highlighted by Sophie Velitchkov who came in at 56.25 for second place.
"I think they physically feel better, and for the majority of them these are their best events, so they are excited and they're doing a great job of supporting each other and having some fun, and the good performances give them momentum and energy to come together," Head Coach Andy Johns said.
The Lumberjacks did not slow down heading into the finals Friday night, in fact, they turned the heat up in Colorado. Beginning the night session with the 100 fly, Jago earned first place coming in at 55.65. The 'Jacks also placed 2nd, 3rd, and 5th, with Lytle (56.53), Lawrence (57.41), and Carlson (58.05), respectively.
After a third place finish in the prelims, Criscione stepped up to victory in the 400 IM with a time of 4:31.84. Tashlein came in third place at 4:33.75. Marking the third event in a row with first place finishes for the 'Jacks, Helena Robla-Alvarez earned a first place finish in the 200 free at 1:50.72.
An impressive swim in the 100 breastroke, led NAU to bringing in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th places in the event. Coming in second place was Phillips (1:03.43), Nelson in 3rd at 1:04.02, Haley Mayhew in 4th at 1:04.27, and Clara Foster at 1:05.07. Velitchkov earned herself a first place finish in the 100 yard backstroke finals event, swimming at 55.75. Annie Carlton placed third in the same event at 56.57.
Rounding out day three of the invite and giving the Lumberjacks a huge win in the 400 medley relay, NAU's 'A' team consisting of Velitchkov, Phillips, Jago, and Robla-Alvarez, finished the race at 3:46.04. The 'Jacks head into the final day of the invite in second place with 792 points, right behind Colorado Mesa with 852 points.
"Saturday of a three day meet is typically a really strong day for us, we have to come in tomorrow morning and own that session, and just keep building on what we did today. This is a ton of experience for us, a lot of people are swimming a lot so managing their preparation and their recovery is all experience," Johns said.
The A3 Performance Invite will continue tomorrow morning, beginning prelims at 10:00 a.m. MST, and the finals will take place at 4:00 p.m. MST.
