FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 19, 2022) - The Lumberjacks are getting straight into competition this weekend as the team hosts Ottawa, Arizona Christian, and Idaho at the Wall Aquatic Center on Friday at 3 p.m. MST.
NAU is heading into the regular season coming off its ninth consecutive Western Athletic Conference championship, looking to secure a decade of dominance at the end of the 2022-23 season in Head Coach Andy Johns and Associate Head Coach Nikki Kelsey's 27th season at the helm of the program.
NAU's conference championship was highlighted by six gold medals, five silver, and two bronze to earn the Lumberjacks first place with 770 points. Victoria Knapp earned her second consecutive gold medal at the WAC championships in the 1m finals with a score of 280.50 along with a silver medal in the 3m dives finishing with a score of 296.50.
The 800 freestyle relay was capped off with a school record time of 7:17.70 for a silver medal from Helena Robla-Alvarez, Katy Smith, Maddy Rey, and Annie Carlton. Rey also brought in gold for the Lumberjacks in the 500 free, followed by teammate Casey Craffey for silver.
Rey closed out her record-breaking championships with another gold medal in the 400 IM, finishing at a career top time of 4:15.32. Craffey also brought in a gold medal for NAU while breaking her own top time in the 1650 free, moving her to No. 2 on NAU's all-time record list with a time of 16:20.59. Haley Mayhew earned her first ever WAC gold medal in the 200 breaststroke finishing at 2:15.56.
The Lumberjacks have prepared for the regular season with two intrasquad meets in the annual pentathlon and the infamous Blue vs. Gold meet.
The pentathlon is always a tough meet for the team as a fast paced five races really tests the strength and endurance of the team in the first week of fall training. Freshman Gracie Munk earned the pentathlon victory with four top three finishes. Munk placed first in the 100 backstroke, second in the 100 freestyle, third in the 100 fly, and third in the 200 IM.
The Blue vs. Gold meet was won by the gold team, highlighted by stellar performances from both swimmers and divers in all events. Freshman diver Maggie Wesche brought in a first place in the 3-meter dives with a score of 332.95. Grace Wesche finished first on the 1-meter boards with a top score of 303.75 for the blue team.
Helena Robla-Alvarez stood out in the 200 free and 500 free finishing in first place in both events for the second year in a row. Haley Mayhew finished second in the 200 IM (2:15.48), and claimed victory in the 150 breaststroke (1:46.58).
Ottawa (OUAZ) will head into their first competition of the season against Arizona Christian and NAU on Friday. The Spirit last came to NAU in the 2021-22 season, falling to NAU 191-21. Ottawa struggled to find success in season last year, dropping nine meets total in the NAIA.
Arizona Christian hosted an intrasquad meet last week to prepare for their regular season. The firestorm dropped last year's meet to NAU 188-52, while pulling out a 157-28 win to Ottawa in Flagstaff. ACU attended the NAIA national championships, finishing 11th out of 23.
The Idaho Vandals opened up their season on Oct. 1, bringing in a 238-37 win to the College of Idaho. The Vandals and the Lumberjacks last faced another at the WAC championships, where Idaho placed sixth overall.
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