5 podium finishes highlight Day 3 at WAC

Friday, February 25

Houston, Texas

9:30 A.M. / 7 P.M.

Grand Canyon

WAC Championships

WAC Sports Swimming & Diving Championship

Photo by: Juan DeLeon Creative

2/25/2022 10:59:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving

Day 3 WAC Final Results

GCU remains in 2nd, trails NAU 514-481 entering final day

By: Chelsie Davidson

HOUSTON — The Grand Canyon women's swimming team came prepared to battle in Day 3 at the WAC Championships in Houston and remained in second place with 481 points behind Northern Arizona's 514 and ahead of Northern Colorado's 335.

It was a big day for the Lopes with four medalists and one podium relay finish.

GCU senior Emily Muteti was the first to be crowned champion in the 100-yard butterfly. The Bombolulu, Kenya, native earned a Division I B cut and set a new team record with her time of 53.34 seconds.

Junior Kaitlyn Carr and freshman Christa Wilson also scored points for the Lopes in the 100 butterfly 'B' final after swimming season-best times.

Freshman Aleksandra Wegrzynowska won the 200 freestyle and set a new GCU school record with a time of 1:48.45. Classmate Maria Chatzi swam a 1:52.38 in the 200 freestyle 'B' final to score points.

Kenyan native and GCU freshman Maria Brunlehner earned her third gold medal of the meet after she won the 100 breaststroke (1:01.05). Sophomore teammate Raphaela Nakashima earned a bronze medal and a spot on the podium with a time of 1:01.99.

In the 400 individual medley "A" final, freshman Fruszi Macsok placed seventh with a time of 4:25.05. Sophomore Emma Willmer and senior Kristina Miletic placed 10th and 11th in the "B" final, scoring points for the Lopes.

Junior Briana Rittenbach, Nakashima, Muteti and Brunlehner closed out the night by earning a silver in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:39.13.

The Lopes will continue the hunt for their first conference championship on Saturday, the last day of the WAC Championships. Preliminary competition is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. (Phoenix time) with finals set to begin at 5 p.m. (Phoenix time).

Preliminaries will be livestreamed on wacsports.com/watch with finals set to air on ESPN+.