Northern Arizona Cruises By San Diego

FLAGSTAFF, Arizona, January 27. FROM the beginning of the meet it was all Lumberjacks as the Northern Arizona swimming and diving team defeated visiting San Diego by a score of 185-108 in a dual meet at the Wall Aquatic Center.

NAU finishes the season 6-6 in dual meets, and will now take just under three weeks off before heading to San Antonio, Texas, for the Western Athletic Conference Championships from Feb. 14-17.

The Lumberjacks saw their only weakness come in the backstroke, as Kristen Yoon from San Diego won both the 100 and 200-meter backstroke events but NAU won the other 14 events of the day.

Danielle Borth started the day off with a first-place finish on the 1-meter springboard with a career-best score of 294.15. Teammate Natalie Hughes took second with 285.90 and NAU senior Shannon Colvin was third with a career-best score of 262.20.

On the 3-meter board later in the meet, Hughes took first with a score of 290.03, Borth was second and Colvin was once again third. Lumberjack senior Monica Bernhard had the fourth-best score on both the 1-meter and 3-meter, recording a career-best score of 224.25 on the 1-meter.

NAU was less than a second off the pool record as Rachael Foe, Cassie Lyons, Renee Rother and Corie Collins teamed up for a win in the 200 medley relay with a time of 2:01.15.

Foe went on to record two more individual wins, first in the 50 freestyle (27.21) and then in the 100 butterfly (1:05.71). Collins also went on to win two events of her own, the 200 freestyle (2:08.08) and the 100 freestyle (59.35).

Alexis Buckley picked up three individual wins, taking first in the 800 freestyle (9:11.98), first in the 400 freestyle (4:33.50) and first in the 200 individual medley (2:28.30).

Renee Rother and Maria Hechanova both won events for NAU, with Rother taking first in the 200 butterfly (2:26.29) and Hechanova winning the 100 breaststroke (1:15.72).

NAU finished the day with a win by Collins, Foe, Becky Triemstra and Tami Binek in the 400 freestyle relay in a time of 4:01.70, once again less than a second off the pool record.

"I expected (the score) to be a lot closer," said NAU head coach Andy Johns. "The girls always get up for swimming at home, and they did that today. I know they were also excited to send our seniors out on a good note. We've started to come together at the right time, and now we will take the next few weeks and get ready to swim fast in Texas."

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