2022 WAC Championships: Northern Arizona Wins 9th, UNLV Repeats

Photo Courtesy: Northern Arizona Athletics

2022 WAC Championships: Northern Arizona Wins 9th, UNLV Repeats

It was strength in numbers for Northern Arizona’s women’s team at the 2022 WAC Championships. Despite not winning a relay, and placing as low as seventh in one, the Lumberjacks had enough on the final day to repel a challenge by Grand Canyon University and book their ninth straight WAC title.

The path to a second straight title was more straightforward for UNLV, the Rebels winning by more than 200 points. (It would’ve been even more decisive if not for a DQ in the 400 medley relay.) They take home the WAC title for the fourth time overall.

2022 WAC Championships Links

Team scores

Scores – Women
1. Northern Arizona University 770
2. Grand Canyon Univ 718.5
3. Northern Colorado, University 530.5
4. New Mexico State University 476
5. California Baptist University 410
6. Idaho, University of 336
7. Dixie State University 227
8. Seattle University 148

Scores – Men
1. University of Nevada, Las Vegas 845.5
2. U S Air Force Academy 630.5
3. University of Wyoming 588.33
4. California Baptist University 555.33
5. Grand Canyon Univ 540.33
6. Seattle University 126

The final 2022 WAC Championships results don’t paint a picture of Northern Arizona dominance, but it was enough to outlast Grand Canyon by 51.5 points. The margin was just 1.5 points after the 100 freestyle on the meet’s final night before Norther Arizona closed with consecutive wins in the pool.

Haley Mayhew won the 200 breaststroke in 2:15.56, then Madison Rey finished with her third win of the week in the 200 butterfly to put the meet beyond reach.

Rey was the standout, a year after finishing second twice and third at the 2021 WAC Championship. This year, the sophomore was unstoppable. She won the 500 free in 4:49.17, using a 27.99 to jet past teammate Casey Craffey by a half-second. (Craffey would go on to win the mile.) Rey also won the 400 individual medley in 4:15.32. That and her 200 fly time of 1:57.68 are both NCAA B cuts.

Sophie Velitchkov was second in the 100 back, and Helena Robla and Annie Carlton went 2-3 in the 200 free for North Arizona’s only other podium swim finishes. Victoria Knapp won 1-meter diving and earned silver on 3-meter.

Judging by the relays, you’d give Grand Canyon the edge overall. The Lopes won four of the five relays and were second in the other. Northern Arizona had one runner-up finish, a third, two fourths and finished as low as seventh in the 200 free relay.

Emily Muteti, Claire Banic and Maria Brunlehner were on three winning relays each. The 200 free squad of that trip plus Kaitlyn Carr went 1:30.05 to down the meet record that had stood since 1999 in the hands of SMU at 1:30.21.

Brunlehner had an impressive meet, the freshman winning the 200 IM and 100 breast and finishing runner-up in the 100 free. Muteti was third in that latter event, the Kenyan Olympian winning the 100 butterfly for the second straight year and finishing second in the 50. Robyn Edwards won the 200 back for GCU, while Aleksandra Wegrzynowska claimed the 200 free to go with a runner-up finish in the 200 fly.

The only swimmer to join Rey among the triple winners was Northern Colorado’s Madelyn Moore, a big part of the Bears scoring 530.5 points, their highest ever, to finish third. The Bermudian sprinter turned in the outstanding swim of the meet, going 22.17 in the 50 free to win it for the second straight season and third overall. Moore’s time downed the WAC Championships record set in 1999 by Boise State’s Amber Boucher. (The conference record remains the 21.77 of Olympic medalist Amy Van Dyken of Colorado State in 1994.)

Moore also won the 100 back and outdueled Brunlehner and Muteti in the 100 free for her second straight title.

Katelyn Bergin was second in the 100 fly and third in the 200 IM for Northern Colorado. Payten Irwin was twice third, and Bryanna Ungs finished second int eh 100 breast.

New Mexico State’s reigning double backstroke champ Maude Boily-Dufour took second and third in the two races. Teammate Lindsay Puhalski was second in both IMs, and Aimee Burton finished third in the 50 for the fourth-place Aggies.

California Baptist landed fifth thanks to double diving champ Paula De Moya Alvarez, who won the 3-meter and platform events. Giulia Decataldo was the runner-up in the mile after finishing third in the 500 free.

2022 WAC Championships men’s team champion UNLV; Photo Courtesy: UNLV Athletics

UNLV’s dominance was more conventional on the men’s side of the 2022 WAC Championships. Not until the 200 butterfly to cap the final day did the Rebels fail to podium in a swimming event. They won two relays and were second in two others. That includes a 400 free foursome of George Ratiu, Bryan Chavez, Alexandru Szilagyi and Reece Hemmens that set the meet and conference record of 2:50.70, blowing away the meet record from 2017 by nearly two seconds and the conference record from 2017 by a clear 1.27 seconds.

The freestyle and distance depth guided UNLV again. They punctuated the meet by starting the final day sweeping the podium in the mile to banish any lingering shreds of doubt. Cameron Castro led the way in 15:13.60, ahead of teammates Chris Mykkanen and Andrew Navarro. Castro was third in the 500, a spot behind Mykkanen, who was also third in the 200 free.

Panos Bolanos completed a three-peat in the 200 back. He also won the 100 back, with Szilagyi third, and claimed the 200 IM.

Ratiu won 100 fly ahead of Chavez, the reigning champ, and also finished second in the 50 and third in the 100 free. Samuel Willstrop won the 100 breast for the second straight year. Adnan Beji, Dominik Bujak and Ivan Zhukau added two medals each.

The only swimmer to give Bolanos a run for his money was the Air Force Academy’s Wen Zhang. The junior won for the third straight time in his signature event, the 200 free. He’d already grabbed the conference record, which he lowered to 1:32.21, and added the WAC Championships mark set in 2014 by Adam Kalms of Wyoming. He also won the 500 free in 4:16.15, downing conference and meet records. His win in the 100 free buzzed within a half-second of the mark held by Lars Frolander of SMU since 1997.

Teammate Adam Grimm won the 400 IM for the third consecutive year. He also finished first in the 200 fly, relegating his teammate and reigning champ Andrew Limpert down a spot. Grimm was second to Bolanos in an epic tilt in the 200 IM, Grimm coming within .08 of rallying past the UNLV victor. Air Force gleaned a pair of diving medals, with Alex Kenyon winning on 3-meter and finishing third on 1-meter.

California Baptist’s Evan Honer was denied a second straight diving three-peat. The sophomore prevailed on platform and 1-meter, but he was third in the 3-meter event.

The Lancers won both medley relays, with the foursome of Jacob Leahy, Jonathan Reiter, Robert Moseley and Remi Fabiani. Fabiani won the 50 free, an event that featured six NCAA B cuts, and was second in the 200 free. Reiter won the 200 breast after finishing second in the 100. Leahy grabbed second in the 100 back. Moseley was third in the 100 fly.

Grand Canyon won the 200 free relay in 1:18.34, with Jack Armstrong leading off in 19.60. He finished second in the 100 free.

Wyoming diver Juan Gonzalez took home three silver medals. Andrew Rodriguez (200 back) and Gilbert Diaz (200 fly) added bronzes on Day 4.

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