FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Feb. 1, 2025) – It was an emotional day at the Wall Aquatic Center as the Lumberjacks celebrated eight graduating seniors. Casey Craffey, Francesca Criscione, Jamie Dellwardt, Victoria Knapp, Bena Koehn, Rachael Lytle, Kendall Marquez, and Helena Robla-Alvarez were recognized in front of teammates, family, and friends for their athletic and academic achievements during their careers at Northern Arizona.
The day began with the conclusion of the Lumberjack Invite, where the divers competed on the platform. Of the 22 divers who entered, the top eight advanced to the finals, while those who placed between ninth and 16th moved on to the consolation round.
In the preliminary round, Catalina Devia was the highest-finishing Lumberjack, scoring 243.90 for second place. She went on to score 249.00 in the final round to maintain her second-place position.
Mackenna Stocker followed closely in the prelims with a score of 242.65 for third. In the finals, she finished in fourth place with 236.55.
Grace Wesche posted a preliminary score of 236.00, placing her sixth. In the finals, she improved to fifth with a 234.70.
Margaret Wesche initially placed ninth in the preliminary round with 229.55. However, she advanced to the finals and ultimately secured third place with a score of 240.30.
Knapp finished 10th in the preliminary round with 226.90 and later posted 227.90 in the consolation round, earning second place.
Marquez placed 12th in the prelims with a score of 202.10 and improved to fourth in the consolation round with 205.45.
"My seniors made me emotional because it's the last time they're going to dive in this pool, which was awesome," head diving coach Nikki Kelsey said. "Vic made her first career NCAA qualifying score on platform today which was fantastic to see. Kendall also had her personal best meet up there, and Freshman Catalina came second, so we're just really excited. It was just a great meet for all of them, but it was really exciting to see the seniors finish on a high note and see our freshmen do such a great job on platform."
Northern Arizona claimed victory in the swim meet against New Mexico, with a final score of 171-122.
In the 200-yard medley relay, the NAU "A" team of Gracie Munk, Trelise Dance, Isahbel Krasht, and Kokona Watanabe placed second with a combined time of 1:44.94.
Robla-Alvarez took gold n the 200-yard freestyle, with a time of 1:54.15, while Koehn secured silver with 1:54.50. Koehn also placed second in the 100-yard freestyle.
Mariana Diaz-Ponce won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:04.32, followed by Dance in second at 1:04.58.
In the 200-yard butterfly, Kaci Kelaher posted a winning time of 2:09.53, followed by Krasht in second at 2:21.83.
Katarina Klatt was the fastest Lumberjack in the 50-yard freestyle, clocking in at 23.60.
Criscione won the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:10.02. She also earned silver in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 17:38.71. Theodora Sabev secured bronze, finishing in 18:05.43.
In the 1-meter diving event, Knapp took first place with a score of 283.25. Margaret Wesche finished second with 281.50, while Stocker placed fourth with 278.20.
The Lumberjacks swept the podium in the 500-yard freestyle, with Craffey leading the way at 5:09.84. Robla-Alvarez followed in second at 5:12.31, and Kylie Ney took third at 5:12.77.
In the 100-yard butterfly, Elsa Musselman claimed first place with a time of 55.48. Klatt finished second at 56.79, Munk placed fourth at 57.79, and Lytle took sixth with 59.39. Lytle also placed sixth in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:00.21.
In the 3-meter diving event, Knapp secured her fourth individual win in three days, taking first place with a score of 318.00. Stocker finished second with 305.10, Margaret Wesche placed fourth with 290.70, and Grace Wesche took fifth with 286.25.
Dellwardt placed third in the 200-yard IM (2:11.93), fifth in the 100-yard backstroke (59.79), and secured gold in the 200-yard backstroke (2:06.21). Meropi Eggink finished second with 2:08.81.
The final event of the meet was the 400-yard freestyle relay, where the NAU "C" team finished second with a time of 3:34.80. The team consisted of Klatt, Eggink, Ney, and Lily Powell.
"Lots of emotions today," head swimming coach Andy Johns said. "They're such a great group, and I'm just happy for them and proud of them. We still have some work to do to prepare for WAC and in a month from now is when we'll really celebrate. The seniors have been great leaders and great representatives of the team over the past four or five years and happy that they're part of our program."
The Northern Arizona women's swimming and diving team will now focus on the Western Athletic Conference Championship at the end of the month, where they hope to secure their 12th consecutive title.
