Riverside, Calif. (December 18, 2021) - The Northern Arizona Swimming and Diving team placed first in the CBU Winter Invitational with 1,373 points after an impressive day two in California.
Coming out of day one in second place, right behind New Mexico State, NAU headed into the day with high hopes, focused all in on the win. Beginning today's first session, Sophomore Maddy Rey swam the 400 IM, coming out with a second place finish timed at 4:29.54.
Caylah Jago impressed the crowd in Riverside with her first place swim in the 100 fly, finishing at 55.68 and bringing NAU their first first place of the day. Next up for the Lumberjacks was the 200 free, where NAU showcased their specialties and got the one two three sweep. Annie Carlton brought in first place at 1:51.57, followed by Helena Robla-Alvarez in second at 1:52.28, and Katy Smith in third at 1:53.00.
Rounding out the second session of the invite, Sophie Velitchkov brought in another top three finish for NAU, coming in second in the 100 backstroke at 56.48. Velitchkov was followed by Freshman Rachael Lytle in third place at 57.85. NAU's 'A' relay team in the 800 free came in second place, behind New Mexico State, with a final time of 7:27.93, just missing first place by milliseconds.
In the 1-meter diving event, Sophomore Victoria Knapp came out on top with first place, with a score of 282.05. Closely behind her in third place was Emily Luberto who finished third with 246.05, and Makenna Sammons in fourth with 240.75.
"We had two really good days of diving, they were a little tired from training but they really stepped up and did a great job. To have so many people in the top eight and Montana Gilletti scoring on platforms and today in 1-meter, she had one of the best meets I've seen her in so that was awesome.I was pleased with all of them, Victoria got the win and Emily got some qualifying scores again. Makenna, Reaney, and Meagan did great jobs. I'm very pleased with where we are at, and excited to get rolling in the second semester. It was huge team effort," Head Diving Coach Nikki Kelsey said.
To begin the last session of the invite, Freshman Casey Craffey brought the Lumberjacks another first place finish in the 1650 free, coming in at 16:55.05. Robla-Alvarez came in fourth in the race, with a final time of 17:25.09.Â
The Lumberjacks put on another impressive show for the 3m diving event, bringing in first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth in the top ten. Knapp swept the day with first places, earning another top spot in the 3m with a score of 303.70. Maegan Jensen found herself in the top three, placing third with a score of 286.45. Luberto came in fourth 284.15, followed by Reaney Preston in fifth with 268.80, and Sammons in sixth with 252.95.
"We had a lot of great swims, Carlton, Haley Mayhew, and Craffey had great swims. Everybody stepped up today. It was a long day at the pool but overall it was good work and effort and results, we're looking forward to having a little break and then getting back to Flagstaff and getting ready for Arizona that first week of January. It was a great end to the semester for us," Head Coach Andy Johns said.
Continuing her standout performance in the pool, Annie Carlton placed another top three finish for the Lumberjacks in the 200 backstroke. Carlton finished third in the race with a final time of 2:02.86. Carlton turned right around for the next event in the 100 free, bringing in second place with a time of 51.78.
The 200 Breaststroke was another successful race for NAU. Haley Mayhew earned the 'Jacks a first place time with 2:17.53, and Delaney Phillips came in third at 2:19.78. Freshman Rachael Lytle finished out the individual swims for the Lumberjacks on a high note, earning first place in the 200 fly while coming in at 2:04.39. The 400 freestyle relay closed out the two day invite, where the 'Jacks 'A' relay team finished second at 3:28.45, and the 'B' relay team finished in fourth coming in at 3:32.14.
NAU Swimming and Diving will be back in action on January 7th and 8th in Tucson to take on the University of Arizona in a two day dual meet.
