Oct. 13, 2006

Results

By Matias Saari, Sports Reporter, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Published October 14, 2006
Posted in Sports, College

The Alaska Nanooks warmed up on Friday by swimming 4,000 yards, or 160 lengths of the Patty Center Pool. They cooled down by doing another thousand yards.

In between, the Nanooks held their own against a formidable Seattle University opponent in the first competitive swim meet at the Patty Center in about 15 years.

"I think we did really well," said Alaska coach Scott Lemley. "My habit is not to rest up for a meet like this. The girls need to learn to swim tired, and that's a real good way to do it."

Seattle won 10 of 11 events to take the meet, 161-44. Friday's competition used the "long" format while today's, which begins at 11 a.m., will feature shorter races.

Realistically, even if the Nanooks had been fully rested, or weren't missing two of their top swimmers in freshman Kelly Becker (for violating team rules) and senior Karin Wagner (sore shoulder), they would have still been overmatched by the Redhawks, who boast 2005-06 All-Americans Lindsey Gall (100-yard butterfly) and Anna Vanha (200 butterfly) and finished 15th nationally in Division II last season.

"My prediction is they'll be top eight at nationals next spring. They are stronger than I thought," said Lemley, adding that Seattle swam faster than any female swimmers have since the Patty Center Pool was opened in 1966.

Several dozen spectators sitting in a balcony area had a bird's-eye view of the Nanooks' home pool, which was bedecked with blue and yellow streamers that denoted the six lanes and spelled out "UAF Nanooks." They witnessed not only Seattle's superlative effort -- which included two wins apiece by Redhawks freshmen Elizabeth Hanohano and Alex Weiss -- but also a pair of school records from Alaska freshman Jacqueline van Driessche. The Seward native claimed the Nanooks' only win by blasting the 50 freestyle in 25.19 seconds to beat Gall (25.46) and four others. Wagner held the previous Nanooks' record of 25.97.

Then in the meet's final event, van Driessche swam the opening leg of the 400 freestyle relay -- she had been slated to swim the anchor leg before a last-minute change designed to give Kathryn Niemi extra rest -- and shattered Samantha Zinsli's record of 56.42 with a personal best 54.91. Van Driessche and freshmen Jamie Bratten had the Nanooks ahead halfway through the relay before Seattle's superior depth took over.

To win the 50 free, which requires one frantic trip down the pool and back, van Driessche did little thinking, but by her accounts, too much breathing.

"There's no approach in the 50. It's all out. If you strategize in the 50 you're doing something wrong. The whole thing is the start, the flip turn and the finish," said van Driessche. "I took two breaths in the first 25. You should take none, or one."

She also is taking the intensity of college competition and the increased work load in stride.

"Back in high school, I would do a 200 (yard) cooldown," said van Driessche shortly after quintupling that on Friday.

Bratten, a Lathrop High School graduate, is also making a smooth transition to collegiate swimming. The extra team camaraderie and increased intensity are the biggest differences from prep swimming, she said.

Despite lingering effect from the flu she had last week, Bratten placed third in the 200 freestyle and swam a strong 400 freestyle relay leg.

"We definitely gave them some competition in many of the races. We didn't get discouraged," said Bratten. "Our relays look strong."

In other races, Vanha -- who placed 8th at the DII national championships last season -- easily won the 200 butterfly in 2:21.22. And today Gall will swim her signature event, the 100 butterfly, in which she was fifth at last year's NCAAs.

Ninth-year Seattle coach Craig Mallery welcomes the competition with Alaska and said the Nanooks have a bright future.

"Alaska is a team that's going to get better each year and they're a conference rival, so it's going to be great to have a long-term competitive relationship with them," said Mallery, whose team will host the Nanooks Nov. 3-4. "We're really pretty evenly-matched programs and given their youth it's pretty impressive what they're doing."