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WAC CHAMPIONSHIP
After the first day of competition, defending women's champion Northern Arizona has the early day one lead while Air Force is in first place on the men's side.
Grand Canyon won the men's 200-yard medley relay (1:25.41) while Northern Arizona took the gold for the women in 1:41.45. Northern Arizona diver Alexa Geiger won the women's 1-meter crown with a score of 302.30. Grand Canyon swept the men's relay events on the night with a win in the 800-yard free relay (6:26.34) while CSU Bakersfield won the women's title with a time of 7:18.33. The evening ended with Nathanael Zillweger of Air Force winning the men's 3-meter with a score of 360.45, just shy of the WAC championship record.
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks remained in first place with a commanding lead after day two of the 2016 Western Athletic Conference swimming and diving championships. On the men's side, Air Force is also in first place with a six-point lead over Grand Canyon.
On the women's side, the WAC crowned new champions in all five events. Northern Arizona's Kendall Brown won the 500-yard freestyle (4:50.88), NM State's Dorottya Lennert won the 200 IM (2:01.66), Grand Canyon's Jovanna Koens won the 50 free (22.92), Northern Arizona's Alexa Geiger won the three-meter diving (322.05) and Northern Arizona won the 200 free relay from lane one with a time of 1:31.58.
On the men's side, the champions of four of the five events won for the third year in a row. Grand Canyon's Iegor Lytvenok won the 200-yard individual medley (1:44.91), UNLV's Dillon Virva won the 50 free (19.26) after setting a new WAC record in the prelims (19.09), Air Force's Nathanael Zillweger won the one-meter diving after winning the three-meter the day before, and UNLV won the 200 free relay with a time of 1:18.25.
The Air Force men's swimming and diving team extended its lead after day three of the WAC Championshps led by Michael Barnosky's win in the 100-yard breaststroke. Barnosky set a new WAC record with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 51.98. UNLV senior Lucas James also broke a WAC record with a score of 344.80 on platform diving. Grand Canyon won its third relay of the meet with a time of 3:08.80 in the 400 medley relay.
Defending women's champion Northern Arizona held a commanding lead over New Mexico State with one day left in the meet. Grand Canyon's Estela Davis Ortiz was a double winner on the night with victories in the 400 IM (4:16.14) and the 100 backstroke (54.16). CSU Bakersfield won two events as Michaela Paige took gold in the 200 free (1:47.73) and the 400 medley relay won with a time of 3:41.85.
Air Force won its first ever men's WAC Swimming & Diving Championship while Northern Arizona took home the women's crown for the third straight year. The Falcons scored 771 to outdistance Wyoming who took second place while the Lumberjacks scored 807.5 points.
PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLL
The Western Athletic Conference announced its men's and women's swimming and diving pre-championship coaches polls, as voted on by the seven men's head coaches and the eight women's head coaches in the league. Air Force was selected as the favorite to win the men's championship and NM State and Northern Arizona were tied as the favorite to win the women's championship.
On the men's side, Air Force was picked as the favorite with four first place votes and 34 points overall. Grand Canyon captured second place with 32 points and three first place votes. Right behind the ‘Lopes is Wyoming with 27 points. UNLV was voted fourth with 21 points. CSU Bakersfield with 16 points and North Dakota with 12 points grab the fifth and sixth spots and Seattle U rounds out the men's poll with six points.
For the women, NM State and Northern Arizona were picked as the favorites to win the conference championship. The Aggies received three first place votes and a total of 43 points while the Lumberjacks received four first place votes and a total of 43 points. Grand Canyon also received a first place vote and a total of 36 points. Idaho grabs the fourth spot with 33 points. North Dakota with 29 points, CSU Bakersfield with 20 points and Northern Colorado with 13 points are fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively. Seattle U rounds out the women's poll in eighth place with seven points.
The 2016 Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving championships will take place at the CRWC Natatorium in Houston, Texas this Thursday-Saturday, February 24-27.
2016 Pre-Championship Men's Swimming and Diving Coaches Poll
Rank Team (1st - place votes) Points
1 Air Force (4) 34
2 Grand Canyon (3) 32
3 Wyoming 27
4 UNLV 21
5 CSU Bakersfield 16
6 North Dakota 12
7 Seattle U 6
2016 Pre-Championship Women's Swimming and Diving Coaches Poll
Rank Team (1st - place votes) Points
1 NM State (3) 43
2 Northern Arizona (4) 43
3 Grand Canyon (1) 36
4 Idaho 33
5 North Dakota 29
6 CSU Bakersfield 20
7 Northern Colorado 13
8 Seattle U 7
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2016 WAC Swimming and Diving Championship traveled to Houston, Texas. Air Force won its first ever WAC Men's Swimming & Diving Championship while Northern Arizona took home the women's crown for the third straight year. The Falcons scored 771 to outdistance Wyoming who took second place while the Lumberjacks scored 807.5 points. Several other awards were handed out on the evening.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2016 Swimming and Diving NCAA Championships travel to Atlanta, Mar. 24-26.